Comrades and friends,

As a result of CPC’s newly announced vaccine policy, our office is fielding a fair amount of questions and misunderstandings. To be clear, we are in uncharted territory where the collective agreement has zero authority and there is little legal protection for the unvaccinated expecting guaranteed work. Our members are bitterly divided on this issue. An overwhelming majority got vaccinated in an effort to end the pandemic, while a small fraction of the rest are demanding everyone mobilize against needing vaccination in order to work.

Here are the facts: the pandemic is real and vaccination remains our best option to end the pandemic. If you are not vaccinated, for whatever reason, our union is obligated to explore ways to uphold any legal rights that may exist for you. A couple weeks ago, our proposal for a rapid-testing alternative was rejected by CPC. Since then, the lawyers consulted by CUPW have not found any solid legal grounds that would allow the non-vaccinated to work under the new CPC mandate. If any credible options are discovered, we will update you; until then, our office and collective agreement have no control whatsoever in this situation. 

If this is unsatisfactory, you have the option to seek your own legal counsel. No matter what you believe, the hope is that you always treat your fellow union members with respect. Verbally abusing co-workers over disagreements or threatening to sue our union officers for a mandate created by the government will not change anyone’s mind and accomplishes nothing constructive.

This dispatch includes further information on the latest vaccine mandate as well as details on the new schedule bidding process CPC is trying in the EMPP, PCI clawbacks for RSMCs and our next GMM. If you are concerned about the vaccine mandate, please read all the following associated information very thoroughly and carefully.

In Solidarity,

EMPP Peak Season & Annual Shift Bids

The consults for the EMPP peak season and annual shift bids are now complete. Although it was not discussed in consult, CPC will be using a bid order selection sheet for bidding on peak positions. The selection sheet is unfamiliar but it will still allow your seniority to be honored and for you to get the best position available to you at your seniority. The sheet is not a collective agreement violation so we don't recommend anyone refuse bidding and risk being bypassed as we won't have a strong defense for you. If you have been bypassed without being contacted or the opportunity to bid, call our office and we will fix it. If you have any questions about the bid sheet, please ask a steward for assistance. 

Peak season bidding will run until completed in the next week or so with the bids being updated daily in your sections. The annual bid will not take place until later this month and will follow the same process. Over the next week, some stewards will be going section to section to ask if you have any proposals to change the rotation of duties for your sections for both peak as well as the annual bid. If you have any ideas for changes, it would be best to write them down to share as soon as possible. Consult for the peak season rotation of duties will take place next Wednesday, Nov 3.

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RSMC PCI Clawbacks

During the ratification vote meetings held in August and early September, we realized that there was a major point of confusion and misinformation for RSMCs surrounding Personal Contact Items (PCI) alleged overpayments and the recovery. To clarify, in accordance with the terms of the agreement to renew the RSMC collective agreement for two years, the following changes have been implemented with respect to the retroactive recovery of alleged overpayments in relation to the annualized total of Personal Contact Items delivered. Read More >>

Even though you will no longer face a wage clawback, if you feel you CPC is inaccurately reducing the PCI count on your route, please contact our grievance office with details.

 

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Virtual GMM: Nov 6, 11:00am

As per the direction given by our CUPW National Executive, locals can hold GMMs via video conference as long as quorum is met and all participants have registered with all the required information by the specified deadline. For our full virtual GMM guidelines, and to register to participate, please see the accompanying post. Read more >>

 

 

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Ongoing Reminder: Local Office Access

To stay aligned with the federal health guidelines affecting our members, our office remains locked and available by appointment only. We are trying to conduct all meetings with members over the phone or via video conferencing. Exemptions can be made for unique circumstances. In either case, please call (780) 423-9000 to arrange an appointment with the appropriate officer. We are extremely busy in the office so please leave a message if you’re unable to catch us on the phone.