For 37 days, members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) engaged in militant rotating strikes in the struggle for a new union contract. Canadian postal workers were forced into strike action by the refusal of Canada Post to address the just and urgent demands of the workers, including addressing dangerous work conditions and high injury rates, unequal pay for rural workers, and massive hours of forced overtime. Yesterday, Nov. 27, the Canadian government, through legislative action, forced Canadian postal workers back to work and into binding mediation and arbitration.

As the struggle continues, the CUPW is keeping all options open, including switching to a campaign of non-violent civil disobedience and other tactics to press their contract demands. “‘An Injury to One is an Injury to All.’ Their fight is our fight,” said President Mark Dimondstein. “The APWU salutes the unity and determination of our Canadian sisters and brothers and we have full confidence that the workers, led by the CUPW, will overcome these new obstacles and prevail in their just struggle. We stand in unbreakable union solidarity with Canada’s postal workers.” 

Our current Collective Bargaining Agreement (union contract) initially expired on September 20, 2018. The APWU and the U.S. Postal Service agreed to extend negotiations until October 20^th after which the parties again extended negotiations until November 20^th. During that period the APWU and the Postal Service engaged in a series of negotiating sessions.

The APWU believes recent negotiations have been fruitful and we have made progress towards a framework of an agreement.

In that light, the APWU and the USPS have agreed to continue our negotiating efforts until December 7^th.

This opinion editorial (op-ed) by President Mark Dimondstein was published in the Miami-Herald on November 20th. 

"We are all postal customers and undoubtedly appreciate the outstanding efforts of dedicated postal workers in the face of these recent crimes. But our appreciation is not enough to defeat the efforts of those who would destroy the Postal Service and loot the public good for private gain. Join the effort to guarantee that the postal service remains owned by, and in the service of, the people."

We’re ramping up our campaign to stop the White House’s proposal to sell the USPS to private corporations — and we’re asking every APWU member to join the fight. We partnered with the National Association of Letter Carriers to produce a new ad to spread the word about the consequences of a postal corporate takeover.

Will you watch it and share it with your friends to help us tell the White House that the U.S. Mail is Not For Sale?

Click here to watch the ad!