Canada Post services suspended nationwide

[kalnaren]

Originally Posted by Drayen

http://www.midnorthmonitor.com/Artic...aspx?e=3180416
"He said CUPW has three main demands: first, they want Canada Post to drop any plans to create a "short-term disability plan" to replace sick leave and remove the employees' right to grieve.

Working for a part of the Government where I regularily "deal" with union grievances, I can honestly say 95% of grievances are complete bullshit and a waist of money. Ontario has a labour standards act that deals with most of this stuff.

Employees grieving that they got a bad job review because their manager is discriminating against them when they are in fact lazy fucks is just stupid, and it costs WAY more money than its worth.

Second, the employer needs to drop plans to establish a two-tier benefits system, in other words, giving new hires less money, fewer benefits and reduced job security.

Solution: Stop hiring more people. CP's revenue is dropping. It needs to cut costs. That's the bottom line.

Third, they need to change their tack on "modernization methods" that are resulting in unsafe conditions for letter carriers. He said mail carriers were once expected to carry one bundle of mail in one hand with a bag on their hip. They are now expected to carry three stacks on their forearm with the same sack still on their hip. This makes it difficult to see, and is an ergonomic nightmare, according to the union boss"

Really? They have to carry 1/4 of the shit the average high school student carries around with them? And give me a break. All new mailboxes are the super boxes with 50 actual mail boxes that don't require the carriers to walk more than 10 paces.

how would you feel if your company was trying to force this down your throat and you COULD do something about it because you're lucky enough to be unionized?

Considering my company just kicked me out of the union, which resulted in a pay freeze for me, I think I'm in a good position to comment on this. And I STILL hate unions.

I work for the Ontario Government. Up until recently I was unionized. OPSEU pisses me off. A LOT (though I was AMAPCEO). I can see how CP could be pissed at CUPW.

[whisper_kill]

Right on!

Originally Posted by Drayen

I have 2 orders that i made back when it was still a rolling strike that i told the supplier to hold on to till this is resolved, and i still totally support what the union is trying to do.

Wages aren't even the big issue, what the union wanted to do is address the under staffing issue that's making their current employees work harder for longer hours that they rightly say is a safety hazard.

They realize how important the mail service is so the union decided on a rolling strike as a course of action. Then within a few days, CP decides to up the ante and LOCKOUT all of it's employees to force public opinion on it's side.
The sad part is that it seems to be working. Everyone is talking slag about the union and it's workers, but it was CP management that decided to totally shut down the mail. NOT THE WORKERS!
This back to work legislation that they have tabled is also another piss off... It wouldn't surprise me if the lockout was initiated on the assumption that that crown would force workers to go back after they arbitrate whatever they wanted down the union's throats. Just like what happened back in 97.

Then again i suppose that's what happens when you put an anti-union party like the conservatives in power(though, i guess the libs did it too). I'm really hoping Layton stalls this bill for as long as he can. Makes me proud that i voted NDP in my riding.

How's the alternate reality in your universe working out?

[FlyGuy]

Originally Posted by kalnaren

...Ontario has a labour standards act that deals with most of this stuff.

Like most Gov't of Canada institutions, Canada Post and its employees fall under the "Canada Labour Code" and not the Ontario one so highly likely not the same rules at play here.


'Fly

[whisper_kill]

My wife rolls her eyes about three times a week as I bitch about how well government workers have it (in general). I have been a small business owner for a long time, and I guarantee you will not find a harder worker, under more stress, with less perks than us poor bastards who run our own show. I don't think I can listen to another union sympathizer without going... Postal.

[Gunk]

Originally Posted by whisper_kill

My wife rolls her eyes about three times a week as I bitch about how well government workers have it (in general). I have been a small business owner for a long time, and I guarantee you will not find a harder worker, under more stress, with less perks than us poor bastards who run our own show. I don't think I can listen to another union sympathizer without going... Postal.

Ahhhhh!

About time someone made that crack.

[whisper_kill]

It was painfully obvious, but no one had snatched it up yet!

[kalnaren]

"...bunch of anti-government worker rhetoric..."

I work for the Government of Ontario. I'm 24 and I've been working for them since I came out of college. I have zero issue with calling myself, and the other 7 guys in my office, hard working, dedicated public service employees.

Some people seem to be under the impression that it's completely impossible to be a hard working dedicated person working for the Government. I take offense to that. Partly because it isn't true, and partly because there are aspects of my job that I can guarantee nobody on this board would want to do.

Having said that, because of some of the shit we have to deal with I'm very well paid. I would never make the argument that I need more money. For my profession (IT forensics) we're about on par with the private sector and slightly above police services.

I can tell you first hand there are lazy dogfuckers who work for the Government... but find me a 60,000 strong organization that DOESN'T have these people in it, somewhere. The majority of OPS employees are competent people who do their job, especially when you get up to directors, CAO's, Assistant Deputy Ministers, and others who are actually responsible for the day-to-day operation withing their ministries.

The people that piss me off are the union ass-kissers, or union reps themselves. Unions exist only to create reasons for their continued existence.

The other thing you have to realize is how the Government pay scale is slanted (this doesn't apply to fed agencies, but w/e). It's heavily weighted in the bottom end to encourage people to go into the public service. Once you move up into MCP (management and above) the pay is actually less than comparable jobs in the private sector. Sometimes on the order of $100,000/yr less for comparable jobs. No, that isn't a joke or an exaggeration. The reason these people stay working for the Government is because 1) they like their jobs, 2) they're dedicated, and 3) there are certain other perks, like job security at that level. The public who whine, bitch, and complain only ever see the lower end. They don't see the upper end because they never deal with these people.

In conclusion, first, don't paint all Government workers with the same brush. We're not all lazy slobs who dogfuck all day on the taxpayer's dime. Second, Unions suck and I hate them. They get in the way of me doing my job more often than they ever help me.

Now, the Government agencies on the other hand....

EDIT: Post edited at request of ASC member.

[FlyGuy]

[Post deleted by author, conflict/issue with ASC member sorted out amicably in PM as adults should do, no further action required]

'Fly

[bizkilter]

Some very good points in this thread "). Some total shite as well. I'm really amazed at the lack of knowledge about unions from some of the more vehement posters however. I could take them or leave them for the most part but they are the reason we have labour standards in this country. Anyone one with enough brain power to read this can go to their local library and read a few history books. You might learn something and not end up leaving a string of cogent arguments punctuated by shear stupidity.

[whisper_kill]

I think you just made one of the points. We now have labour standards and the internal mechanisms to manage and enforce them... Ergo, making unions generally unnecessary. I do believe they are now just feeding their base to keep them alive. They too, are slowly becoming a thing of the past. It's true, not ALL gov employees are lazy and uneducated (because you would have to include the military in that broad brush statement), but with many gov positions comes a slew of benefits, pay curves and various other perks, that for many in non gov positions simply doesn't exist. This is where a lot of animosity probably comes from. I truly hope, for the sake of my businesses immediate needs, that they resolve this strike post haste.

[THe_Silencer]

Originally Posted by whisper_kill

not ALL gov employees are lazy and uneducated (because you would have to include the military in that broad brush statement),

Funny thing is, you meet plenty lazy and stupid folks in the military, just like any government job.

[Jimski]

I just want my mail.

[kalnaren]

You meet plenty of lazy and stupid folks in the private sector, too.

[surebet]

I didn't bother to open my CP entrepreneur package until today since I knew I wasn't about to ship anything. Apparently the guys at CP are even bigger dicks than I thought and just frenched my name...