So, Are We About To Have A Postal Strike Here?

If you are not in a rush glenzy. The only thing slower that Canada Post is walking.

I personnally would love them to strike and stay out say one full year.They are all overpaid and our costs in Canada are ridiculous compared to the USA.By the way,mailmen are working on Saturdays in the USA and till 6 PM on week days.With their union,you will never see that in Canada unless they get paid TRIPLE time.Have you seen a year without an increase?Home delivery should be abolished.A little walk has never kill anyone.Well no bill to pay for a year is not that bad.Thinking about it,they would think of a way to work around a strike.

Yes, things are so bad elsewhere, we should make it bad here too.

Honestly, Canadapost does a decent job providing a good service, especially considering how little support they have. Yes, they get paid more than a McJob does. And yes, they have a good pension. But they also "get" to walk all day... with 40-60lbs of uneven mail. They "get" to deal with dogs, angry tenants, accusations of theft, bad weather, poor job security (perpetual contracts), etc. And yes, they need very little training prior to getting in.

... but guess what? There isn't a single job in the trades that requires training before you get in. There are tonnes of private companies that hire based on family relations and not qualifications. There are tonnes of small businesses that discriminate against visible minorities. There are bad employers and there are good employers. Just because your job is terrible, or your pension isn't as good, doesn't mean you need to make life more difficult for folks who ruin their backs lugging around junk mail and useless flyers.

Considering public mail is a public service, and posties have EVERY opportunity to steal your mail, I don't think we should be cutting their pay. It's like teachers. And cops. You probably can find people to do the job cheaper. But you can't find people to do the job cheaper AND better. Crooked cops, lazy teachers ... that's what happens when you get a conservative government into power that cuts public service. Bad school system? Most people blame the teachers. I blame the lack of funding (You're not going to retain "good" teachers in the public system when the private is better in every way). Excessive ticketing going on? Many blame the police, I blame the lack of funding to police services (they've got to make up the cash somehow).

So cutting the postal service? Postal service isn't great right now. It's okay. But do you think making the job harder is going to improve the service? Let me ask it another way : If I told you that you needed to lose weight before you could have your choice of food ... that might work. But science (yes, behavioural psychology) has shown that the best motivation comes from provision, not from deprivation. If you disagree, you need to get some more school learning in ya. Or spend 30 seconds with google (Hint: Type "Is deprivation good motivation"). No matter what you believe (or what you've experienced), using a carrot is almost always better than using a stick.

If it wasn't for unions, we'd be forced to work 7 days a week by our employers. Just because you disagree doesn't change the fact that unions have done a lot of good.

Last I heard the price of service is going up a whole 2 cents. I'm quite glad with their decision. By comparison, I've only used a public pay phone once since the price doubled to 50 cents a couple of years ago. I don't use the post much, but 2 cents isn't going to break me. I like the mail and the services that they provide (provided they are not junk mail!).

I live in the middle of a long road where I own a lot of property populated by .... me. Yet they still come out and deliver my mail to my roadside mailbox.

The drag is when I have to drive 20 miles each way to pick up a parcel, usually one that would fit in my mailbox. I mean they deliver Xpresspost to my door, but not a regular package? The outsourcing of that service means I get some mean spirited wench at Shopper Drug Mart giving me a hard time about what it is I'm supposed to pick up and why does my photo ID carry a "warning for viewers".

I see both sides of the coin but I think the postal model is antiquated and more of a delivery mechanism for the regular delivery of junk mail than anything else. I'd prefer they just cut home delivery altogether, stick with the superboxes and used the savings to expand post office hours and days.

The union is not entitled to hold these home delivery jobs in some type of job security grip... the jobs should be eliminated and the savings passed on in the form of increased services like decent pricing for small parcels under 454 grams or wherever the actual demand is.

I've personally dealt directly with more than one head of Canada Post though and their political masters have no stomach for any actual reform regardless if their wingnuts tighten left or right. They are all gutless cowards and the union smells the yellow and goes for gold.

Can't blame 'em at all.