Canada Post, CUPW Signal Return to Talks as Overtime Ban Continues

Canada Post has asked the Canadian Union of Postal Workers to resume bargaining just days after collective agreements expired and an overtime ban began nation-wide. Union leaders say federal mediators relayed the Crown corporation’s intent to respond to CUPW’s Sunday proposals, but until a formal reply lands, postal employees will keep capping shifts and dropping undelivered mail back at depots each evening. Part-timers and temps may still work up to eight hours, yet full-timers are refusing extra routes—already slowing parcels in major hubs.

Pay grids, weekend deliveries, pensions, and the growing use of temporary staff remain flash points, alongside Canada Post’s mounting red ink that analysts warn could push the service “the way of Blockbuster.” Management insists sweeping reforms are needed; workers counter that stable jobs and fair wages are the only path to reliability. With 72-hour strike notice already served last week, both sides know a full walkout lurks if talks stall again.

Businesses eyeing summer e-commerce peaks and Canadians awaiting cheques are hoping Wednesday’s meeting turns momentum. CUPW says speculation and social-media hot-takes won’t move the needle—only a concrete offer addressing core demands will lift the overtime ban. For now, mail trucks roll on shortened routes, depots swell with unsorted letters, and the country waits to see whether cooler heads can stitch a deal before the slow crawl veers into outright shutdown.