Canada Post Strike?

Sad but true! I'm in a GO with a Canadian GO leader and she posted this in the thread to inform everyone who hasn't received their packages yet:

 

I've Heard about The possibility of a strike a few weeks ago have been freaking out since then.
But i read this morning that The strike Will be friday.

But at least our stuff Will just be held hostage during The strike and not actually gotten rid of... Right?

 

Yeah I've heard this too over the past few days. I really hope that they won't be on strike for too long. I have a couple of packages on the way and they're so not getting here before thursday
Wish they would have a way we could get our packages though since we've all paid good money to get them shipped

 

This strike seems to be a yearly occurrence.... they say it is only supposed to last about two weeks.

 

They might not even strike at all, if there's a last minute agreement. I'm crossing my fingers, since I just ordered something and it's on shipping now >.< Thanks, Canada Post

 

I've been freaking out for a few weeks, I hope they really advert any strike... I have a bunch of packages in transit... plus any day now Lati will hopefully send out my order.... eeeeepPP!!!!

If they do go on strike, fingers crossed for a short duration and that all packages get delivered promptly after that.

 

On CBC I believe it said the last time Canada Post went on strike was 14 years ago, and they don't renew contracts yearly, so it's really not a common occurrence. There's still a chance they won't strike at all. As much as a strike would be an annoyance -- I would have to put on hold my sales in the marketplace, and wouldn't be able to receive any orders either -- it wouldn't be anything more than that. Vital things like people's government cheques will still be delivered. I still far prefer Canada Post to courier services, because I really hate paying $40 or more in brokerage fees.

 

Yeah, I could have taken the option to have my new doll shipped by DHL, but after checking out the thread here about them - no. I decided to take my chances with Canada Post, anyway. I'm sure that, even if they do strike, it will just be a bit longer wait. Considering I ordered him and they sent him the next day (yesterday), it's no big deal if I wait a couple more weeks. I'd be waiting far longer if he was ordered direct from a company, anyway. However, I do feel for people with commission and sales threads who might have business disrupted by this

 

I'm glad that I've gotten at least two of my three purchases already, though it still sucks.

I know that they're totally in within their rights to go on strike, but it really kinda screws everyone else over. Businesses that rely on shipping things out will lose a lot of money unless they use the more expensive courier services (and I hate using these for anything that crosses the border, since a fair few of them force you to pay at the door for brokerage fees that their shipping costs should have covered in the first place). And of course there's those of us waiting on purchases, or sending things out.

*sigh* here's hoping that things get resolved soon.

Apparently it's already going forwards in Winnipeg .__.

 

From what I hear here in Toronto, our postal services have stopped entirely.
They released some information on the Canada Post website...
I hope it doesn't last long, I don't even know why postal service isn't already counted as an essential service. Some unions that are "essential services" aren't allowed to strike.
I call the post pretty important >:C

 

The government has the power to order them back to work, and if enough economic impact is demonstrated, they probably will. But as long as Canada Post continues to guarantee people's cheques and financial payments are going through--I'm from a rural part of Canada originally where there aren't adorable banks to allow you to do your backing in the wink of an eye--then they will get at least a few days, and maybe even a couple of weeks to prove their point, though reading how much even a starting salary is, I honestly can't feel too-too sorry for them.

.hlp

 

I got regular mail in Toronto today, and I saw postal trucks out and about. I heard something about rolling strikes. Maybe it's just going to be a day here and a day there? Maybe I'm being too hopeful.

 

I don't think you're being too optimistic. On Canada Post's website, there's a yellow bar across the top that leads to information on the strike. Straight from the horse's mouth:

So, it looks like they're not going to halt mail services completely for the full two weeks, thank goodness. I'm sure it'll still be enough to cause some serious disruptions.

 

I am running a GO with many participants in the states and the idea of a strike halting their packages is an absolute nightmare. I feel for my participants ;A;...I really hope that they will continue with rolling strikes for at least one more week..hopefully not in toronto! It definitely feels like a race right now to get packages out.

 

Good thing I saw this. I have a package from Iple that can be sent out anytime soon now. I hope they send it out asap before the west coast gets hit.

 

I got mail this morning (bleh... it was junk mail though!) , and I live in Toronto.

From what I've heard it's a rolling strike, so not all of their employees are striking at the same time. That would cause utter chaos.

As much as it's an inconvenience I'm sympathetic to their cause and hope it resolves soon.

 

I do have a lot of order to be mailed to canada...is it safe to mail them or should I wait? I'm a bit confused. I don't want anyones packages getting lost/damages due to pile up from non delivery from strikes.

 

Shelly: from what I understood, the letters and parcels are simply "forgotten" at the office until the strike is over. no lost or damaged ^_^

 

I got my doll today, so things are still running fine in Toronto. The postie was incredibly nice, too!

Now I've just got to wait for my Cancan order. But that's going to take a couple weeks on its own, anyway.

As I see it, I don't think shipping anything here will be a huge problem. Each place that they're striking is only down for 48 hours at a time. That's not really much worse than a holiday weekend buildup.

 

oh thats good to hear. I know one customer asked for me to hold the package until this is over, and that sounds safer, Im just sooo worried about things getting lost.

 

is the strike over yet? I'm having trouble finding info about it on google and I have a lot of stuff to mail out on the board here ;.;

 

The strike appears to be running in a cyclical fashion with certain cities being affected for a ~24-48 hour period after which the strike moves to another city, and business returns to usual at the one before.

You should be okay to send/receive mail through Canada post.

 

Here's the announcement page where they list which cities/towns are on strike for a 24- or 48-hour duration.
http://clients.infopost.ca/en/

 

Tayma-Leigh: thank you for that, i've been so nervous about packages getting lost but that sounds more safe!

thank you so much for those links!!! Going to read up now. When I was googling all I got is its still on and people being frustrated ect. no real info -.- thank you

 

Actually, if you check the link I posted up, it looks like things have gotten worse.

 

Reported by the New York Times this morning, Canada postal services are on permanent hiatus due to strike.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/business/global/16postal.html

Luts has announced that EMS is suspended in Canada (and Greece) until further notice.

This will have an impact on many things, including the doll hobby.

 

The Strike in Canada has been on for about a week now. CTV News reported yesterday that some mail is starting to get through.

 

According to my office in Toronto, postal workers across Canada were locked out this morning and no mail in Urban and Business is moving. Only Rural carriers are still moving mail, and that is because they still have some at rural dispatch centers.

 

Yeah, Canada Post has been operating on a rotating strike for 12 days now. They've just enacted the nationwide strike today.

 

oh no!!! *sigh* I JUST mailed out a good 15 or so packages to canada on monday this is not good news...

 

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20110615/canada-post-national-lockout-110615/

 

I have my doll parcel stuck at the processing place and not to mention I have inbound stuff coming soon D: Now they are not accepting any more incoming mail. I guess that means my stuff is going to be returned and now I have to fork over more shipping money -___- I think I can get hold of one of the person to hold on to my stuff until this issue is solved..

I support our posties for wanting a contract they are happy and statisfied with, but for peek sakes this has gone out of control D<

 

I hope this won't last too long D:
I don't want my stuff to be sent back ;____;

 

Oh gosh, I'm sorry that's happened, sweet. :{ Won't the one stuck in processing be there and then delivered after the strike is through?

As for the incomings, is it possible to talk to the company and explain the situation, and let them hold onto it for a while? I'm expecting things from Angell Studio as well, and hopefully I can negotiate something with them for mr Group order. What a mess.

 

I tried to go to the post office and it was opened but they will not accept any new parcels or letters. Anyways I hope it's going to be over soon.

 

Well, up until this point, it has been the union that has issued rotating strike orders, and if anyone had noticed they had been escalating in severity- first one city, than two, than ten small ones and on Tuesday it was the 3 major Postal plants. Canada Post decided to lock out the workers (earlier than I guessed, which was Friday). I'm assuming that now Canada Post is playing hardball and having the union squawking about how 'unfair' this is. (Ironic, given that the Union was the first to pull out of negotiations and issue their intent to strike.)

Frankly, with the current new hire wage starting at 23-24$/hour and the union making no visible concessions on their part, I don't have a lot of sympathy for the union at this point.

Otherwise, I hope that they do get this sorted- I just shipped a doll and she didn't make it out. =/

 

Most likely. One of them is too late since they mailed it out 2 days ago (which is odd the tracking number isn't working -__-), but I will have to contact Kond'D to hold my stuff until this issue is over.

 

I think the strike is on 'city-by-city' basis. My Soom order arrived yesterday without any delay at all (Soom shipped it on Friday). My work is sending out updates so if I hear anything new I'll make sure to post here.

 

Until yesterday, it was on a city-by-city basis. Today began the nationwide lockout.

 

My thoughts exactly! Especially with all of the unemployed that would scramble for a job like that. (I know I would!!)

I'm really nervous that my orders get to my customers. I hate not having any control of what's going on and I feel really bad for anyone who had bought doll items or worse expensive dolls that are just sitting there

My sympathies to everyone waiting on packages.

 

Oh rats! That's really disappointing to hear right now as I'm waiting on several items from ebay as well as other shops, and I wanted to place an order through Featherfall before the end of the month... I hope nothing gets lost in the system. Ah well, only thing to do is wait it out.

 

ARG. They've just totally lost my sympathy. I've got several packages in the mail, I don't want to have to pay shipping TWICE, I can't afford that. I really hope the customs office holds onto things for us while we're waiting for things out of the country, but... They're only going to have so much room.

I guess I should contact Kon'D too...

 

Well, the lock-out was a decision made by the CP executives, not the union, but IMO it seems like the safer thing to do.

I don't care how much the union screams that the "rotating strikes are meant to minimize the effect on public"; somehow, a bunch of mail and parcels coming in from all over the country (and from abroad!) to a location where there are no workers to receive, sort and process it just SEEMS like it might lead to a lot of cases of damage/misplacement/loss. Better to shut the entire thing off entirely instead of trying to push a train with a few carts whose wheels are still on breaks.

There are talks of a back-to-work legislation looming next week though, so hopefully it'll get sorted out. Quite frankly, I've been following the issue - I wouldn't gripe at them for getting paid $24 - after all, current calculations place a NORMAL, SURVIVABLE minimum wage at $18 (at least around these parts), so I'm happy they're actually being paid something that lets them live a normal life. But the union execs are kicking in their heels because of supposed "safety" issues involving modernization of facilities, when the US postal workers have been operating the same equipment for 20 years without any issues. Um, proof of health hazard please, or shut up about it.

 

My mother works for Canada Post. I used to hate it especially when they complained about their wages there when any untrained individual can make their salary (and most would kill for it), when graduates from most programs make much, much less in comparison starting out in their respective fields. Pension is another thing altogether; I can understand why they'd strike for it, but it isn't just CP getting screwed on that count. All of Canada, as the boomers go to retire and need funds to live off of and pay medical expenses, will suffer with lowered funding from the government. Social sectors (including housing, EI, etc) have already seen massive cuts, and technically, Canada as we know it is banking on borrowed or seniors' pensions to stay afloat economically. With a government that favours our economy over humanitarian causes (such as pension, education, employment insurance, and medical benefits), ie thanks alot, Harper, this is not a factor that is likely to change.

However.

Highlighting that factor only in one arena, for one typeset of individuals, won't solve the problem. And if Canada Post makes demands to get their needs fulfilled, government will either need to fully privatize the mail system to get it working again (which will result in the loss of that 20.00+$ starting wage, by the way), or will have to live up to the Union's bullying and fulfill it's demands. In the last case scenario, whose pockets are those extra dollars going to come from, but other, much needier social programs the government funds. Under Harper's regime, in British Columbia alone, public spending into social programs has been reduced by at least 60%. Many programs that help the unemployed, the sick and needy, the homeless, immigrants, etc, are being axed.

I'd like to say I support everyone's need to better their living situations. But I can't really say I support Canada Post (the Union) this time. If they succeed in getting what the want, people who need it more than they do will suffer for it. Even beyond our packages being halted. There's more important things than them out there. I wish they'd agree to something and then be back to real pressing issues, such as emergency technicians and ambulance strikes, harm reduction services, benefits for children over three years of age, and fixing our grossly congested healthcare system, where real lives are in danger.

On an aside (but completely related!) note, I have two packages to send and a doll incoming from Australia. The packages I have to put out are safe, in my closet, waiting for processing. But I'm worried about my boy coming overseas! He can't wait on the plane forever! How long will customs keep him, anyway? (He just got on the plane today.)

Sorry for the kind of big blob of politics!hate up there. I didn't mean to go on, but I'm unhappy with the situation. And I'm nervous. Those two feelings in tandem always gets my mouth motoring. :I

edit: I also have to agree with much of what Lelite is saying, too. The idea of lockdown was the company's idea, but again, compared to what could have been vulnerability in the system due to these rotational strikes, it makes sense. And there are other issues, as well, including the facilities, etcetera, beyond pension.

It's also true that a livable like needs a higher wage (as quoted by Lelite, approximately 18.00/hr), but considering they're above that line right now, and knowing that the costs will likely come from other sources, and the original agreement they're being asked to revert to means that a high wage is still in place, I still really, really wish they were not fighting about it at this moment.

tldr; Political/economical ranting and paranoia about doll in transit while strike is taking place.

 

According to must recent press releases, the government served the 48-hour notice about issuing a back-to-work legislation today. So I think, saying this very hopefully, that postal services should begin returning to normal starting monday.

 

That's wonderful news! I certainly hope an agreement can be reached by that time.

 

Bleh :/ I don't really like forced 'back to work' legislations. They don't really seem fair to me. People have a right to strike, though the rest of us would usually appreciate it if the strike is done in a way where the rest of us aren't completely cut off from an essential service. (And don't even get me started on the Harper 'government', I won't say a word more about it given that politics are a no-no on this forum)
If I knew that my packages for sure wouldn't be returned to sender, I'd be far less grumpy about the whole thing.

 

Oh, I agree everyone has a right to strike. It's just that I wish the efforts exerted in striking were exerted in everyday politics by everyday average Joe/Jill.

For your sake, I hope your packages make it to you okay, instead of returned to sender. I'm in the same boat with a Limhwa Mono I'm receiving. Errr, or sending back to Australia, apparently. ;x

 

For those still wanting to ship to/from/within Canada and haven't sent their packages yet ... there's always places like UPS and FedEx. We shipped out a pair of Euclase legs via UPS no problem yesterday, while CP trucks were sitting uselessly in their parking lots.

 

Conservative party to make a legislation to force worker out of the strike ASAP because it's bad for the economy (well duh... think of the economy of people with no benefits or job security or pensions::roll eyes::

Article on the forcoming law

Of course the NPD will vote against... so the law might take some time to inforce... how about using that time to negociate instead?

 

Um... they've been in negotiations this entire time. In fact, I believe they are STILL in negotiations. In other words, negotiations have not broken down. CP did this without the union's knowledge, so this is all just one giant mess.

 

I think we are all on the same leaky boats. I just hope my package from Ebay takes its sweet time getting here. I hate to pay shipping AGAIN because of the lousy strike -___-

I don't like courier service outside of Canada for numerous reasons. I rather pay $10 shipping fees + any custom fees via postal then forking over brokerage fees + shipping + possible custom fees. Oh and don't forget HST cause Liberals love screwing us over.


Back OT, Good news that they are getting back to work, and postal services will be back to its normal self, but like everyone else said, they have the right to strike. I just wish it didn't interfere with services that people rely on or need in order for their business to stay a float. Now it lost them millions of dollars during that time + people who changed over to another method of shipping for their buisnesses.

Lesson learned I hope.

 

It is one giant mess, the union workers were willing to call off the strike if CP would fall back on previous contract while negotiating a new one still and CP said no and did the nationwide lockout instead. So now instead of one or a few cities a province a day not getting mail, it's the entire country.. I'm not entirely sure that makes sense.

CP pulled this for just that legislation to be passed.. Hope something will happen soon. Also stating that the striking has lost them money, but of course people don't want to put mail in the system while this is going on.. all the more reason for them to come to a settlement quickly..

Be that as it may.. I am waiting for things in the mail, and a seller was willing to hold on to the head I'd purchased until this is over. Wigs are easily replaced over heads.

 

Well, I was quite lucky. Managed to get my doll from Mint on Card right as nationwide strikes were enacted.

This really sucks trying to get a hold of any dolls. I wonder if any companies would be willing to put things on hold if you pay them first?

 

A friend of mine was unlucky to get his doll returned to the company when this all started some weeks ago. The company is going to keep the packae until he can get it but I do not know if they will make him re-pay shipping :S

I am also waiting for many things and was going to buy other things but I'm going to wait for it all to end...

 

I read on the CBC webpage that if the legislation goes through mail service will resume Thursday. I think it might be a little hard to order right now, although doll companies usually take a lot longer than a week to ship out new dolls anyways . . . It's weird that the parcel of your friend got returned when it was still rotating strikes -- mail was really only delayed by a day or two then.

I think there's a pair of urethane eyes floating around out there headed my way. I'm not that worried. Packages are typically in customs for four days anyways, maybe this will allow Customs to get a handle on their own volumes for once, and after waiting a couple of months what's another week?

 

I am currently watching the mailman putitng mail in everyone's mail box 8D
how come they can't continue their strike? I am super happy they can't xD but still wondering