Good point on the USPS situation. Canada Post, whether they get a deal sooner or later, they will have to do massive cuts to the service, major restructurings and increases of shipping fees and postage stamp prices.  I also wouldn't be shocked if some post offices will undergo construction next summer (i.e. renovations) in order to expand the surviving facilities to house the postal boxes and equipment from the permanently closed post offices. Or maybe some larger postal outlets will probably close as well, but move to leased space inside a drugstore or supermarket - as that would be much cheaper than having individual post offices scattered throughout the country.  There are way too many rural post offices in Canada, and many likely don't have enough foot traffic - they should have closed down years ago.  Should Canada Post decide to close down post offices, it may require travelling many kilometres to go to a postal outlet to put something in the mail. It stinks, but that's life.

I did learn that Canada Post had proposed a 25¢ increase in the price of a postage stamp, which would come into effect on January 13, 2025 if approved.  If the strike continues into January, the price hike may likely come into effect after services resume, and expect another (possibly bigger) price hike in July, and maybe even April.

I also wouldn't be surprised if any parcels and envelopes still in queue will probably be returned to the sender once services resume, as Canada Post will likely inform the sender that additional shipping fees and/or postage stamps may be required.

Typically, a strike when a company is losing revenue is not a good idea.  Canada Post will lose even more revenue, and according to what I read in other sources the corporation could run out of money by early 2025 (when I see "early 2025" I would think first quarter or April).  Plus, Canada Post will be required to pay off a $500 million debt by July 2025. This screams bankruptcy in the making.

Canada Post is in dire straits, and from a recent article I read they are still negotiating, but the corporation realizes it is critical to get a deal reached soon or the company may end up going the way of Blockbuster Video in the new year.

Based on past history, strikes - without replacement workers - usually last no more than three months before they are financially impacted, after which the company has no choice other than to give in to many of the union's demands - but after this strike is over, there will likely be many post offices closing down and merged with postal outlets in bigger communities - but if any layoffs happen, it may be minimal to none. Or it may be significant. That probably won't be announced until 2 to 4 weeks after the workers return to work.  There may also be reduced hours of operation for many post offices and postal outlets - possibly similar to the hours of teller service at many banks.  Instead of operating from 9 to 5, it may end up becoming 10 to 3.

I also believe that, after the strike is over, there will likely be longer delays on parcels arriving due to the quality of service becoming worse.  Before the strike, you would have a wait time of a few days or 2 to 3 weeks, but after the strike you may have to wait several months before your package arrives.

Canada Post is continuously negotiating because time is of the essence - not just due to the holiday season, but due to the company's financial health.  It seems as if the corporation is trying to get a deal reached without cuts and layoffs, but closing down post offices and laying off workers is an absolute last resort.  They may have to do that last resort by late January or February if the company is very close to running out of money.

The union is demanding a 24% pay hike over the four years of the agreement, and the company offered 11.5% percent over four years.  I think the 24% figure is just a bargaining tool and really all they really want is midway between - about 17 percent.  Another key issue at hand is the introduction of weekend delivery, which may lead to more frequent injuries.  Once an agreement is reached, they may not get any pay hike for the first year of the agreement, but the pay hike will likely only be good for up to 36 months - should the strike end in late December or into the new year.

I do recall an article about Boeing company workers being on strike for seven weeks, and the workers were fighting for a 40% pay hike to cover the cost of living. The workers rejected two offers - with 30% and 35% pay hikes, but they settled on 38% pay hike plus a lump sum signing bonus of $12,000 - which, according to someone's math is equivalent to 40%.  The union got what they fought for and they were immediately happy - but just after operations resumed, Boeing announced that 17,000 workers (not just striking workers) were receiving layoff notices.  It turns out the offer was too good to be true for Boeing workers. It came back to bite the union in the end.

That said, I expect there will be thousands of jobs cut and/or post offices closing down and moving to bigger post offices after Canada Post ends their strike, but it may not be announced until a month afterwards.

A strike that lasts more than two weeks will usually mean bad news for the workers - whether job losses, consolidation, reduced work days, etc.

If the strike continues into the new year, it may likely be settled by February - due to the looming tax season by that point.  Plus, most strikes that continue into the new year are usually settled by late January or early February - which is typically when strike season is over.

Archey80 & TN56 I share your concerns. 

I also had a very promising order from Europe that never arrived last year (with no labour upheaval). Eventually, after a lot of stress & contacting eBay, they refunded my money & told me that Canada Post wouldn't deliver the package. That seemed odd. I won't ever know whether this was true (or not) but I can say it was quite annoying as the order contained a couple of great notes from the DR which were about 1/2 the price of the other sellers a few years back. I'd be very lucky if I could buy those notes for the prices today.

Anyway, I am a little concerned now for my package coming from China, seeing as it won't arrive until the dispute is over. 

AJG .. why would you think anything Canada Post related would effect the roll out of currency across the country?  It's not as though currency is distributed by them??  I'm confused. Breanna

Not Banknote/Coin related but I have to return a amazon package to a Canada Post and because of the strike I don't know when I am able to return it to Amazon. The deadline for it is November 22th so I hope the workers can negotiate a deal and everything can resume to normal operation

I actually reached out to a eBay seller yesterday asking how they were shipping given the strike but never heard back so didn't buy. I don't want it sitting somewhere for an undetermined period of time.

I have really curbed my buying lately but succumbed to tossing a few bids on one of the last eBay sellers who offered true auction style listings (rather than Buy It Now/BIN).  So, of course, I won 4 World notes (from China) but these will be held up due to the Canada Post strike.

Anyone else affected?

Any predictions how the work action/negotiations will pan out?

W2W

I think I have a rough idea as to why the Desmond $10 notes had quite a delay in new prefixes reported in 2018.  It probably had to do with the Canada Post rotating strikes which was ongoing when the new $10s were first issued.  The strikes may have prompted banks to hold off on submitting any orders for new banknotes until it was over.

I had come up with that idea, which was sparked because Canada Post workers are now on strike again.

The main link from the SNDB I also noticed is broken, but I've found another link within the forum that allows you to access the suspect notes page. I entered your username for you.

https://cdnpapermoney.com/index.php?enteredby=Dean&hasconf=0&myconf=-1&hasimage=-1&action=sndb&area=suspectnotes

Thanks!  Your link worked.