Editor:
Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have been negotiating for the past three months to achieve a new collective agreement for rural and suburban mail carriers (RSMC). RSMCs are looking for equality in this contract. We want to be paid an hourly wage that is equal to the urban bargaining unit members who do the same work.
The 7500 RSMCs across Canada should be encouraged to hear that a recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling has resulted in the settlement of a pay equity case that was filed 28 years ago. In this ruling the court found that work, which is overall the same and has the same total value, equal in skill, responsibility, effort and working conditions must be paid the same.
Currently RSMCs have as many different wages as there are RSMCs. We want equality with each other and with the urban postal workers doing the same work.
RSMCs are also concerned about an announcement made by Prime Minister Harper regarding increasing the retirement age to 67. RSMCs only became employees of Canada Post in 2004; previous to that they were all contractors. No RSMC can have accumulated more than eight pensionable years, although many have worked for more than 30 years. It is extremely important that RSMCs are paid for all the work they do at Canada Post and that all the money earned is considered pensionable earnings.
If Canada Post believes, as they say, "an agreement can be negotiated that is affordable and in everyone's best interests," they will need to start negotiating our equal pay for work of equal value, paying us for all the work we do and ensuring that RSMCs are receiving the same benefits as other workers at Canada Post.
Charlene Penner, president
CUPW Sunshine Coast Local 840
