Canada Post strike: will. you be affected?

News: Welcome to the Canadian Paper Money Forum.

Based on articles I have been reading lately, I learned that the union has several key demands. Among them include wages, job security, 40-hour work week, and pensions.  I'd say, as the talks continue during the strike, they will eventually have only two key demands left - most likely wages and job security.  The federal labour lawyer will likely inform them "you can only have one or the other" - and the union will likely, but reluctantly surrender the job security and take the wage hike.  Then, after the strike is settled, layoff notices will be issued to thousands of workers, possibly well over 10,000.  I wouldn't be shocked if there could be a big lump-sum signing bonus in any offer that takes place.  I mean, the Boeing offer that union accepted did have a big signing bonus, but in order to make that happen there had to be layoffs.

I was also affected. Purchased 4 eBay items from the US a week before the strike happened. They are currently "en route to Canada" so it's just a waiting game.

Now depending on how long this draws out, do I request a refund for unreceived item? Guess I'll wait and see...

walktothewater sometimes I feel afraid ordering banknotes or coins internationally because of stories many people had experienced before. It's unfortunate that it had happened to you but at least you got the refund back. As a new collector reading these replies and resources available helps me a lot and avoid making mistakes as a beginner

Feeling apprehensive in purchasing notes from overseas is understandable. It will take longer for your package to arrive & sometimes postage is more due to the distance & number of couriers involved in transporting your package.

I am very happy to say that my OP package arrived by courier this past Tuesday (19th)!  It arrived from Mississauga, ON slightly over a week from when I won.  If you follow my Notaphylic Culture website you will know I regularly buy from China & Thailand & 9 out of 10 times my packages arrived in 1 to 2 weeks.  I really wish I could say the same for my European orders!  I already posted that one did not arrive (from Spain) & I have bought several items from Europe.  For me, its been a "Crap shoot" with too many white knuckle, spotty arrival times.  I once swapped with an Italian seller & my package arrived in 3 weeks while his took 11 weeks to get here! I had "wrote it off" when it arrived. My most common purchases are from the US & I usually get my items from Asia before my US orders.

I have read countless eBay bashing on social media & that China only sells "fakes."  I remind collectors that eBay is the "wild wild west" (& it was one of the reasons I started selling some of my doubles). Research what you want & get to know the sellers. I have seen countless "Nazi" stamped circulated notes & other "manufactured" pseudo-junk being passed off as "POW" notes, etc, copies or "reproduktions" sold by Chinese, US, CDN & European based sellers. Check the sellers' feedback & practice due diligence & you can still do fine on eBay.

I stick with power sellers with huge "+" feedback scores & patronize their off-eBay sites & have never had an issue.

I'm sorry to read that some of you have purchases lingering somewhere due to the strike. Just be patient & I'm sure it will all work out once this labour dispute is sorted out.

Good luck everyone!

Was reading the news on my lunch break and I find that rural area are being affected a lot as Canada Post is the only postal company delivering there and even Ottawa Food Bank is getting affected by it. If the strike continues for a long time, my guess is the government may have to intervene and force them back to work like the CP Rail worker strike

I'd say they'll be legislated back to work by February at the latest.  The rural economy will be impacted greatly, and action will be needed.

Canada Post seems to be racing against the clock when it comes to getting a deal reached. Not only for the holiday season, but for the life of the company.  They made tiny movement in the talks recently, but that's normal early in a strike.  If the mediator keeps facilitating the talks, they may be able to save the holiday season, otherwise they may end up getting a deal reached when the low-demand period starts in January.

Unions tend to pick a peak period for going on strike.  If that tactic fails, they end up settling early in a period when demand would start to decline.  Happens in most strikes - especially transit strikes (which are usually settled by early February - when ridership is low, as hardly anyone wants to stand at a bus stop in bitter cold temperatures), and the 2023 Federal Public Service strike in which they chose tax season - the peak period - to walk off the job, and that deal was reached after that peak period ended.

Canada Post is under panic mode now, and they are fearing for the company's life.  They were on track of depleting their operating capital by early 2025 (and the strike might cause them to deplete their operating capital much sooner).

I think, when the strike is settled, they will likely settle on a 16 or 17% pay hike over four years, but in order to pay the workers that much money jobs will have to be cut.  I wouldn't be shocked if any job cuts happen, it will probably be announced in next year's federal budget - and the job cuts will be in the form of closing down post offices (and selling them) and consolidating them into bigger post offices, and even setting up postal centres inside convenience stores, additional drug stores, and even supermarkets.  I wouldn't be shocked if postal outlets may end up being set up in Loblaws-owned supermarkets.

As far as I know, talks haven't broken off - otherwise I would have noticed by now.

I've been renting the same P.O. Box in Ottawa at the main Alta Vista Terminal continuously since 1978 (over 45 years!) When I first opened the box the rental cost was around $30/year and now it's around $240/year. There have been numerous postal strikes (every 4 or 5 years?) since I opened the box but service always got back to "normal" relatively quickly. The one thing that has NEVER happened, however, was to receive any sort of compensation from Canada Post in relation to the strike periods during which my box was totally out of service. Not a big deal of course but typical of the times in which we live!

During the weeks prior to the current strike I found Canada Post's service to be excellent and tracked items that I sent to the the west coast were often arriving within two or three days. I even complimented the counter staff on the Corporation's efficient service! However, I always use FedEx when shipping more valuable items outside Canada and have never encountered problems. The shipping cost is very high but it brings peace of mind.

I learned as early as yesterday that the corporation was laying off union workers.  They laid off union workers every week since the strike began.  Isn't it illegal to lay off striking workers during or after a strike by Federal labour law, or are there exceptions if the layoffs have zero percent to do with the strike, and there has to be bona fide proof?

A cautionary tale of jumping prices:

I sold a record album (LP, vinyl) this week to a fellow in QC. As soon as I saw the order I messaged him to ask if he had heard about the strike and how he wanted to proceed. He responded with "Oh, that's right..." He asked for pricing with alternate carriers. I warned him of the highway robbery that those carriers inflict on Canadians through exorbitant customs, taxes, and imaginary "brokerage" fees, but he said to let him deal with that. Ok...

So I got a quote at UPS for $46.08 and FedEx (ground) for $31.91. He chose FedEx since it was substantially cheaper. But by the time I had got prices, sent the information to him, and received his approval, it was after 9pm, so I went to FedEx the next morning to ship his record. The FedEx lady told me it would be $38.35. I asked why it had jumped from $31.91 overnight; she said their rates are good for only one day, and increase each day until New Years.

Definitely a bait-and-switch, but I really had no choice. Rather than waiting yet another day to ask his approval and have the prices jump again, I just shipped it and ate the extra $6.44 as a cost of doing business. I'm worried the buyer is going to get hosed on taxes & fees, with his package held hostage, because that's what happened to a Canadian buyer the last time FedEx ground was chosen. I told him if it were me, I'd rather just wait for the strike to end and use USPS/Canada Post, and rest assured knowing that the shipping wouldn't cost me a penny over $19. But it was his choice, and he can't say he wasn't warned.

That doesn't surprise me & thanks for sharing. I have had really "iffy" service from FedEx so many times they remind me of those dodgy movers who's rates vary by the minute.

I have waited for packages & then (later) seen stickers at my door since the driver didn't bother to buzz me (etc, etc). I also have called to ask for rates & got different answers from different customer reps.  When I won a couple notes from a HA FUN auction, FedEx charged me a surcharge for paying the duty at customs (so I paid the duty + FedEx surcharge). I'm sure that could happen with the LP. Customs will likely determine its some type of expensive collector's item & charge a duty & then your buyer will also pay extra surcharges. 

Definitely a bait-and-switch, but I really had no choice. Rather than waiting yet another day to ask his approval and have the prices jump again, I just shipped it and ate the extra $6.44 as a cost of doing business. I'm worried the buyer is going to get hosed on taxes & fees, with his package held hostage, because that's what happened to a Canadian buyer the last time FedEx ground was chosen. I told him if it were me, I'd rather just wait for the strike to end and use USPS/Canada Post, and rest assured knowing that the shipping wouldn't cost me a penny over $19. But it was his choice, and he can't say he wasn't warned.

     

I'd rather wait for the strike to settle IMO.

A cautionary tale of jumping prices:

I sold a record album (LP, vinyl) this week to a fellow in QC. As soon as I saw the order I messaged him to ask if he had heard about the strike and how he wanted to proceed. He responded with "Oh, that's right..." He asked for pricing with alternate carriers. I warned him of the highway robbery that those carriers inflict on Canadians through exorbitant customs, taxes, and imaginary "brokerage" fees, but he said to let him deal with that. Ok...

So I got a quote at UPS for $46.08 and FedEx (ground) for $31.91. He chose FedEx since it was substantially cheaper. But by the time I had got prices, sent the information to him, and received his approval, it was after 9pm, so I went to FedEx the next morning to ship his record. The FedEx lady told me it would be $38.35. I asked why it had jumped from $31.91 overnight; she said their rates are good for only one day, and increase each day until New Years.

Definitely a bait-and-switch, but I really had no choice. Rather than waiting yet another day to ask his approval and have the prices jump again, I just shipped it and ate the extra $6.44 as a cost of doing business. I'm worried the buyer is going to get hosed on taxes & fees, with his package held hostage, because that's what happened to a Canadian buyer the last time FedEx ground was chosen. I told him if it were me, I'd rather just wait for the strike to end and use USPS/Canada Post, and rest assured knowing that the shipping wouldn't cost me a penny over $19. But it was his choice, and he can't say he wasn't warned.

UPS and FedEx are taking advantage of the Canada Post strike by charging customers outrageous prices. Today is Black Friday and I have a feeling that shipping prices will skyrocket as a result. I also wonder if a negotiation is still taking place as I heard on the news they are starting to layoff some employees. I hope they agreed to a deal because I am impacted by this and other people too, I was supposed to return a Amazon package and the deadline has passed as a result of me not being able to return it and I lose out on money. I would like to hear your thoughts about it.

Talks are suspended as of Wednesday.

Regarding the layoffs, they are said to be temporary.  But it makes me wonder if the decision to lay off workers could be a signal that Canada Post is preparing for its ultimate demise, as they are running out of money more and more as the strike drags on; or, layoffs may be necessary in order to give the remaining workers many of their key demands (but not everything).  I am thinking those temporary layoffs may be repeatedly extended or become permanent after the strike is over, and the truth will likely be revealed by that point.

I also learned from someone that Canada Post may run out of money by February 2025, which may be what is meant when they said "early 2025".  If true, then February may be a turning point in the strike.

I was surprised that USPS was still accepting packages to Canada up through Wednesday (closed yesterday for US Thanksgiving), although they were strongly recommending not shipping to Canada. Now this alert today:

Canada Post strike

INTERNATIONAL SERVICE SUSPENSION NOTICE
Effective Nov. 29, 2024, the Postal Service will temporarily suspend international mail acceptance to Canada due to the foreign postal operator indicating that they are unable to process or deliver international mail or services as a result of the ongoing national strike by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
Customers are asked to refrain from mailing items addressed to the following country, until further notice: Canada

So, folks, how do you think the postal strike will end?

What we know so far:

• CP could run out of operating capital (or simply put, run out of money) by early 2025 (believed to be February).
• CP has to pay $500 million in loan payments by July 2025.
  
• Workers are now being notified over the phone that they are being laid off.

Could this mean the service will be drastically different when it resumes? Could the strike end in the new year with the service resuming with just the core workers and not all 55,000 workers?

At this point, it seems as if Canada Post may already have been on its last legs even before the strike.  Mismanagement, plus inability to adapt to modern technology (in short, "technologically impaired"), may be what's killing the corporation.

So, it turns out there were two rounds of negotiations between the two sides in the last two weekends.  In this latest round, an offer with significant movement on key demands was made by the company to the union, but the union are extremely disappointed and claim the company went in the opposite direction.  I am thinking what that implies is that, while major movement was made on many of the key demands (including the top two issues - weekend delivery and wages), since there may have been major improvements in wages, something's got to go - and I have a feeling that may mean layoffs.  Of course, I could be wrong.

But at least I am happy that major movement is made, and one would think they are closer to a deal, especially since the corporation could run out of money by early 2025 - and that unfortunate milestone could be just weeks away.

Yesterday I came home seeing 2 packages on my door step. At first glance I saw a Canada Post logo on the package so I thought it was delivered by Canada Post but turns out the company that delivered the package to me used a different carrier to deliver the package to me to my house. Seems like major corporations are using different couriers and eating the cost of it (Can’t confirm for each company)

Also on the news UPS and Puralator will no longer be delivering packages due to the high demand they have gotten since the strike had happened.