In November 2011, it took the Supreme Court of Canada 20 minutes to tell Canada Post to end a 28-year long battle for pay equity. Six months later, we are still waiting for PSAC members to receive payments that are long overdue.
PSAC first filed a complaint with Canadian Human Rights Commission in August 1983, alleging that clerical work, performed mostly by women, was equal in value to the higher paying sorting and delivery work that was performed mostly by men.
After a seven-year investigation by the Commission, the case was finally referred to the Human Rights Tribunal, where hearings lasted 400 days over the course of 10 years.
In 2005, the Tribunal ruled in favour of PSAC and ordered Canada Post to pay retroactively from August 24, 1982 to June 2, 2002, “discounting” the award by 50 per cent. In 2008, the Tribunal's decision was overturned by the Federal Court following Canada Post's request for judicial review.
PSAC and the Human Rights Commission appealed the decision to the Federal Court of Appeal only to have it dismissed. Our union then filed an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.
On November 17, 2011, after deliberating for 20 minutes, the Supreme Court rendered a unanimous decision and upheld the Tribunal's 2005 decision and Order.
It has now been six months since the Supreme Court made its ruling and Canada Post continues to drag its feet, arguing with PSAC on how much money it owes our members.
Enough is enough. It's time for Canada Post to do what the highest court in the land told it to do and pay up! Women shouldn't have to wait 30 years to achieve pay equity.
http://www.psac-afpc.com/news/2012/issues/20120514-e.shtml
Date Modified : 2012/05/14

TO: All UPCE Members

Our current Collective Agreement expires on August 31, 2012. Your union, represented by our bargaining agent PSAC, will be in a position to provide Canada Post with notice to bargain in May.

Strong and informed communication between members will be a key necessity during this upcoming round of bargaining. Your National and Local Executives plan on providing you with up to the minute updates. The main medium for this will be through the use of personal email.

To help effect this timely receipt of updates, it is the responsibility of each member to provide a current email address to a representative of their Local Union Executive. Your prompt attention to this matter is both necessary and urgent.

For those members who are without personal email address capability, please ensure that you find another member in your Local who would be willing to share updates with you as they are sent.

In Solidarity

Yvan Bélanger
National President

February 23, 2012

Moving Forward!

Sisters and Brothers,

It is my honour and privilege to be writing to all UPCE locals and activists as your new National President. I am pleased to report that on February 7, 2012 the National Board of Directors (NBoD) voted to take our Component out of trusteeship. I was immediately sworn in as a member of the Board, meaning that once again UPCE members will be represented at the highest levels of our union. I look forward to working with all UPCE members to make sure our voice is heard.

On November 17, 2011, PSAC won a major struggle for women's equality. Our 28-year long battle for pay equity at Canada Post concluded when the Supreme Court ruled in our favour. Up to 6,000 current and former employees of Canada Post who worked as CRs between 1982 and 2002 will be eligible for payments. Full story

Canada Post is planning to change the way your Individual Performance Incentive is paid out. Even though your collective agreement is in force until August 2012, CPC wants to go ahead with this change. They want to consult in order to have the Union sign off on this now - ahead of collective bargaining in August, even though the change would not take effect until January 2013. Full story

The Supreme Court of Canada will hear PSAC's pay equity case against Canada Post on November 17, 2011. This case dates back to 1983, when PSAC first filed a complaint over unequal pay. Full story

The CUPW strike - now a lock-out - has prompted questions from members on how to support CUPW and what their strike means in relation to our 2008 strike against the STDP.

I quite frankly take strong exception to the tone, content and particularly the threat implied in your letter.

Forty-five thousand members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers will be on strike against Canada Post Thursday at midnight. Full story