Canada Post signals changes for postal delivery

UNI’s Canadian affiliate, CUPW has advised that Canada Post has told the union that it is to introduce a technology update programme, called “Modern Post”. A central part of Canada Post’s “Modern Post” automation program is the new delivery model for letter carriers and Mail Sorting Centres. The main points of this new model include:
• 80pct of letter carrier routes in major urban areas to be affected, as well as about 35pct of all RSMC routes.
• About 90pct of letter-sized mail will be sequenced to line of delivery by machines in plants.
• Two or three letter carriers will use each A-62 case in shifts to sort the rest of the letter mail, flats, and packets.
• 80-85pct of letter carrier routes would be motorized where the new “Delivery Model” is in place.
• Motorized letter carrier routes would deliver all items for their delivery area, including parcels.
• Foot routes will remain in high density areas, generally the downtown core of cities with MSC parcel delivery in these areas.

UNI’s Canadian affiliate, CUPW has advised that Canada Post has told the union that it is to introduce a technology update programme, called “Modern Post”. A central part of Canada Post’s “Modern Post” automation program is the new delivery model for letter carriers and Mail Sorting Centres. The main points of this new model include:
• 80pct of letter carrier routes in major urban areas to be affected, as well as about 35pct of all RSMC routes.
• About 90pct of letter-sized mail will be sequenced to line of delivery by machines in plants.
• Two or three letter carriers will use each A-62 case in shifts to sort the rest of the letter mail, flats, and packets.
• 80-85pct of letter carrier routes would be motorized where the new “Delivery Model” is in place.
• Motorized letter carrier routes would deliver all items for their delivery area, including parcels.
• Foot routes will remain in high density areas, generally the downtown core of cities with MSC parcel delivery in these areas.

CUPW advise that Canada Post’s plans will have an enormous impact on the CUPW bargaining unit. Up to an hour of sorting time in the depot could disappear from letter carrier routes, as well as the householder preparation time and travel times back to the depot for lunch. Most MSC jobs would disappear. The new mail processing technology is also designed to eliminate many jobs.

The union is working to eliminate these adverse affects.

For more information see: http://www.cupw-sttp.org