By: Heidi Kwok, Staff Writer
On December 20, a rally was held by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and the East Van Workers Assembly at Victory Square to mark the first anniversary of 55,000 Canada Post workers being forced to resume work duties after a 32-day strike without properly negotiated collective agreements. The back-to-work order, issued on December 13, 2024, by the Canadian Industrial Relations Board under the recommendation of former labour minister Steven MacKinnon, relied on Section 107 of the Canadian Labour Code. CUPW argues that this provision was “deliberately misinterpreted” to prematurely end the strike. The Peak spoke with Alex Bernstein, an organizing director at CUPW Vancouver Local 846 and a North Shore letter carrier, to learn more.
“The atmosphere was quite electric,” he said. “There was a lot of support from CUPW, East Van Workers Assembly, Vancouver and District Labour Council, and a whole bunch of labour-adjacent people [ . . . ]. People were frustrated.”
In the past, the federal government had been repeatedly accused of misusing Section 107 to resolve industrial disputes without proper settlements between parties. Section 107 grants the labour minister authority to intervene in labour disputes to “maintain or secure industrial peace.” In a press statement, CUPW said that the provision “continues to be liberally wielded against organized workers,” having been utilized to end the BC and Montréal dock workers’ strike in 2024 and the 2025 Air Canada flight attendants strike.
Section 107 “stipulates that they can end the labour dispute in a way that would be conducive to getting a settlement.
“S. 107 did not end our [Canada Post’s] labour dispute. It ended our right to strike and forced us back to work.”
— Alex Bernstein, organizing director at CUPW Local 846
“It has been over a year now, and we don’t have a contract.”
Bernstein said that workers’ fundamental bargaining power is lost when they’re denied the ability to withhold their labour, thus removing any incentive for employers to bargain in good faith: “They need only wait a couple weeks or as ever long as it takes for the government to go, ‘All right, all right, back to work.’”
When asked what changes CUPW is demanding from the federal government, Bernstein said that Canada Post should be operated as an essential public service rather than a Crown corporation that relies on its own revenue to eliminate unfair competition with private companies like Purolator. While Canada Post owns most of Purolator, CTV News reported that “for several years, the subsidiary has been profitably handling packages that might otherwise be processed by Canada Post.” Secondly, he reiterated that workers’ right to strike and collectively bargain be respected. Thirdly, Bernstein argued that the ongoing mandate review of Canada’s Postal Charter, which may result in reduced service standards such as the end of daily and door-to-door delivery, should be heard publicly so Canadians can have a say in how they receive their mail. Finally, CUPW has also endorsed the reading of Bill C-247, which will involve amending the Canadian Labour Code to repeal Section 107.
“It’s a grave political error for them [the Liberal Party of Canada] to be a party that is supposed to be in opposition to the Conservatives, but they clearly resent people that work for a living,” he continued.
“All we’re asking for is healthy and safe jobs and job security. Our jobs [postal delivery] used to be one that was a career that people could retire on. We give our bodies for this public service, but over time, they erode these rights that we once had.
“So really, the government needs to respect the workers and the people in this country who are dependent on this service,” Bernstein concluded.
The Peak reached out to Patty Hadju, the minister of jobs and families, for a response to CUPW’s demands. Regarding demands one and three, her office stated, “the government firmly supports the collective bargaining process and respects workers’ fundamental right to strike.
“The expectation is always that parties can and should come to an agreement at the bargaining table, and this is why we have a skilled Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to help support negotiations. The government will always maintain that the strongest deals are reached at the table by the parties.” The office recommended speaking to Public Services and Procurement Canada about demands two and four, but The Peak was unable to correspond with them before press time.
