Comrades & friends,

Welcome to 2021 -- I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays! With the new C19 restrictions in place, the decrease in cases in Edmonton is resulting in lower numbers in our local over the past couple of weeks (less than 10). In this dispatch you will find updates on alleged offsite EMPP work being done, getting pocket calendars to those that missed out, and nominations for the April 2021 local executive elections.

In Solidarity,

Offsite Postal Work In Edmonton 

Many rumours have been circulating the EMPP that our work is being performed by non-CUPW members in offsite locations due to Canada Post being overwhelmed by the pandemic-peak-season volumes. Similar reports have emerged in Vancouver, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg. The union has confronted CPC at every level demanding information on what postal work is being processed, and where. CPC’s uniform response has been:

There is no requirement for the corporation to share this information with the union as the work being performed is under the prevue of the contractor. No bargaining unit work is being performed. No bargaining members are being used. Mail is being kept in storage to avoid congestion within facility yards. The mail is then brought over to the plant to be processed by CUPW members.

Our officers have been denied access to the Edmonton facility by the company alleged to be doing our work. All demands on CPC for access to the facility for the purposes of grievance investigation are denied. Our office has also filed FOIP requests to secure more evidence to substantiate our suspicions. We will update members as/if relevant information presents itself. Until then, please contact our office with any hard proof, or evidence, related to this matter.

Pocket Calendars 

Distribution of our (strangely popular) 2021 CUPW pocket calendars was successful in 80% of our local. A big thanks to our volunteer network for making that happen. The only hiccups occurred on two shifts in the EMPP where someone(s) took dozens of calendars left out in the lunch room for workers to pickup.

If anyone has any information on who took these calendars, please contact my office directly so we can investigate further. Going forward, we will instruct those helping with distribution of union ‘merchandise’ that the EMPP lunch room is not a safe place to leave things for collection. Lastly, at our Executive this weekend, we will be discussing how to get calendars to those that missed out. Next week’s dispatch will have an update on this.

Local Executive Nominations

Local Executive elections will be held April 2021 for the following 3-year term positions:

President (full-time officer)
Health & Safety (full-time officer)
2nd Vice President (EMPP)
4th Vice President (RSMC)
5th Vice President (Garage, Maintenance, Registration, Wickets)
Communications Officer.

The nomination period for all positions is now open until Feb 26, 2021, 5pm. Nomination papers can be found at the local office (by appointment with Karry, the Secretary/Treasurer), or here. Nominations will be read at the office on Feb 26, and all those accepting nomination will then be allowed to campaign based on safety guidelines still to be determined by the Executive and Election committees.

UCP Alohagate - Progress Report Podcast

The Progress Report invites Shannon Phillips, the NDP MLA for Lethbridge West, to break down Alohagate for us. Producer Jim Storrie joins host Duncan Kinney to wrap up the pod and gets some things off his chest about this scandal. (Listen here)

Local Office Access - Reminder

To stay aligned with the newest health guidelines, 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 trying to put out a thousand different fires, so please leave a message if you’re unable to catch us on the phone.