Canada Post employees to vote on final offers after 18-month impasse

Canada Post employees will soon vote on the corporation’s final contract offers after the federal labour minister approved the request for a ratification vote.

The vote will be overseen by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) and apply to members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) in the Urban and Rural and Suburban Mail Carrier (RSMC) units.

In a statement, Canada Post said the vote will allow employees “to have a voice and vote on a new collective agreement at a critical point in our history.”

The minister authorized the vote under section 108.1 of the Canada Labour Code, following an 18-month bargaining process marked by a national strike and a federal inquiry into the state of negotiations.

Canada Post tabled its final offers May 28. The company says it will work with the CIRB to prepare for the vote and will release details as they become available.

While Canada Post said a negotiated deal was its preferred outcome, it acknowledged the parties remain at a “major impasse.”