Canadian Union of Postal Workers Strike for Contract

(This article appeared in the November/December 2025 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine)

The Canada Post labor dispute over a good contract continues, with postal workers shifting to a rotating strike (striking at different locations on different days), which they say has a history of winning major gains for postal workers. The decision comes after another unratifiable proposal from management that was worse than the one workers rejected in August. The union representing postal workers, Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), says they are simply trying to negotiate a collective agreement that will “strengthen public services, protect good jobs, and build a sustainable post office that will serve Canadians, no matter where they are located, for generations to come.”

CUPW is fighting a two-front battle. While Canada Post, which is a government- owned corporation, makes insulting offers at the table, an anti-worker government has been intervening in their strike actions. This is the second CUPW strike for a good new contract. The first began on Nov. 15, 2024, but was suspended when the government, which has ultimate authority over Canada Post, called strikers back to work. Clearly, workers are the only ones taking up the mantle against privatization and for good public services.

In contrast to the CUPW’s vision for a robust public postal service, Canada Post’s latest contract proposals offer a look into the future of what they think Canadian Union of Postal Workers Strike for Contract postal services should look like; a privatized and less efficient “gigified workplace” using part-time contractors, outsourcing work to franchises, providing less services to the public, closing post offices, ending door-to- door delivery, and using cluster boxes for mail.

Just like us, our union family to the north is fighting for good, public postal services and good union jobs for the workers who provide them. This should be a warning to all that cuts to service and threats to job security are in the playbook that postal privatizers will use in the United States. ■