Striking Canada Post workers will be walking the line with union brass this morning in St. John's.
Mike Moeller, Atlantic regional vice president of the Union of Postal Communications Employees, part of the Public Service Alliance Workers of Canada, will be walking the lines with six Canada Post workers in St. John's today.
Administrative workers at Canada Post nationwide took to picket lines Nov. 17. Their main complaint has been sick-leave benefits and other concessions.
The six workers in St. John's will start protesting at noon at the Kenmount Road Canada Post offices.
Mail delivery hasn't been affected by the strike.
Canada Post workers picket in St. John's with help from union brass
Striking Canada Post workers picket the main post office building on Kenmount Road Saturday. Fourth from left is Mike Moeller, Atlantic regional vice-president of the Union of Postal Communications Employees. Photo by Gary Hebbard/The Telegram
- Published on December 6th, 2008
- Published on June 30th, 2010
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Staff ~ The Telegram
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Comments
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- not as
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:34:01
Actually John, the Post office is shifting responsibility for sick leave benefits from themselves to EI........You, as a tax payer would be paying more as EI would recoup their pay out by increasing premiums you would have to pay through payroll deductions. It has been my experience(20 years in the public sector) that when there is a call in because of illness, the person who is ill is not replaced for that day, and if they were, most like be replaced by a casual worker at minimum expense with respect to benefits paid to that casual. You state you know a good many who use it all but in that statement, you fail to enlighten us on those who do not. I'll wager that those who do not far out weigh those who do. 'Who needs 21+ days a year sick leave?' you say....well as it seems you are one of the lucky......think of it this way....You have been working for about 20+ years. In those twenty years or so you may have taken only half a dozen days off sick....But today you are really ill so you visit your doctor.....After examination he gives you the great news that you have a serious liver problem and you're going to be off for a LONG time...MONTHS...You have maybe 300 or more days banked for sick leave. That sick leave is going to let you recover with minimal stress, knowing your pay check will be there with full pay and you don't have to wait to get it. Your mortgage, groceries, utilities, your medication and all the other items that you have a responsibility for will get paid. There is no need to draw EI at a reduced rate which actually penalizes you because of your illness.
If the stats you did are right, stat holidays and scheduled annual leave and family leave cannot be used as this inclusion; that skews the statistic with a higher occurrence of sick leave use. Your 63 days off is based on an individual taking ALL available time to him, which in any estimation, is a case of the extreme. I knew many of my coworkers who when they retired after 35 or 37 years left on the books over a year and a half of sick leave..one I knew hadn't taken a sick day in 35 years. He died six weeks after he retired. -
- Brian
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:33:49
I am one of these picketers in the picture. We want to thank everyone for their tremendous support. Everyone who pays into the E.I fund will be affected if this Short Term Disability gets pushed through. I can assure you that your E.I premiums will increase when Canada Post workers have to apply for E.I instead of using their banked sick leave. SHAME!!!
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- John
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:31:13
Interesting Brian Collins. Could you elaborate? Is this denying access to leave already accumulated or is it a reduction in benifits. And, BTW EI payments would be cheaper on me as a tax payer than it would be for me to pay a sick leave day + another for the staff replacing you. I know there are legitimate workers who require to use their sickleave. I know a good many who use it all, with no real medical condition. People who have 25+ years in with 0 sickleave left. Perhaps, the use of EI (less benifits / waiting period) would make a worker think twice before calling in sick to have his or her long weekend. I was a unionized Fed worker in the HR department for 30 years so I know what I'm talking about. The sick leave abuse of a good many, not all forces agencies to take measures that go beyong the silly sick note requirement after X amount of sick days off. Who needs 21+ days a year sick leave? The stats we did out 10 years ago showed that the average full time worker actually worked only 3 days per week - at that time (21 sick days + 30 annual leave days + 9 paid stat days + 3 days family leave) - 63 days off a year?
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- Wake
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:27:16
You'll NEVER win this.
Go back to work. -
- HoH oHo
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:26:36
Gerry Dunphy from Etobicoke, Ontario writes: Keep on protesting, Who cares,get your perks from your part time jobs. Who needs Canada Post anymore? those days are over, Have a Merry Christmas.
Gerry, you be a good boy now...or Santa will leave a lump of coal in your stocking...Your name is on my list to check twice so Santa is watching...Merry Christmas HoHoHo!!!! -
- Brian
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:25:24
John, you present a good arguement and I do appreciate it. Canada Post wants to freeze our banked sick leave, reduce our sick leave and make us apply for E.I. in the event that we are sick and if our insurance provider approves it. The banked sick leave would then top up the E.I. We have bargained in good faith in the past to achieve what we have now. It is our understanding that E.I. is for the unemployed, underemployed and for those who have run out of sick leave. With the current economic situation and the anticipated use of the E.I. fund, can you imagine the financial strain on this fund if profitable companies use E.I. to reduce their financial obligations and increase their bottom line? This should not be allowed and everyone should write their MP's and MHA's on this issue. Thanks.
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- Bernadette
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:20:04
John
You asked for someone to explain. The new sick leave plan leaves an insurance company to decide if you are sick or not and how long it should take you to recover. Not a doctor, surgeon etc.. you get the picture. Canada Post has not in the last 18 years that I have been an employee given the leave that you mentioned in your comment. Canada Post employees gain 1.25 days per month worked of sick leave credit (max. 15 days). This sick leave could be used on an employee's word for 10 days and anything over that needs to be certified by a doctor. Our long term disability requires that you have 60 - 90 (I am not sure of the exact #) of sick leave and all of them need to be used before long term disability kicks in. The executives at CPC want to replace the current 15 days with 7 days and then turn the employee over to the insurance company (Manulife) for the first 15 weeks and then over to the Employment Insurance for weeks 16 - 30. Any sick leave over 30 weeks would be turned over to the long term disability provider. On another note no one replaces a PSAC-UPCE member when they are away sick for any short amount of time (flu) and more often that no when away for a moderate amount of time (surgery). The employee is expected to catch-up on the work that has accumulated when they are away for a few days otherwise to co-workers try to cover . I personally have not use a sick day for any reason in over two years and have over 250 days in my sick leave bank. But if I was diagnosed with cancer I would be at the mercy of an insurance company and Employment Insurance rather than being able to rely 100% on my accumulated sick leave. -
- greg
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:19:09
We care, Gerry. I've met your kind before. You sound a lot like one of those brash and bold , making the scene, flaunting convention,small-minded independent business types who whine and cry about how unfair it is government workers have well paying jobs and benefits. You think $16,000 a year is enough for anybody to live on, if they spend it wisely. You think overtime is a dirty word. You won't be happy until everyone is working for minimum wage , enslaved in the retail/service/ tourist industry. Thats when you'll raise your glass for a toast at the Board of Trade Luncheon. Well i got a flash for ya, Hotshot. Problem is, by then there will be no one left to buy the Chinese products on your shelves. Bon Apetite !
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- dave
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:18:48
mr dunphy is from a big city area. too bad.he is depriving some village of a perfect idiot.
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- Gerry
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:16:22
Keep on protesting, Who cares,get your perks from your part time jobs. Who needs Canada Post anymore? those days are over, Have a Merry Christmas.
-
- not as
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:23:01
Actually John, the Post office is shifting responsibility for sick leave benefits from themselves to EI........You, as a tax payer would be paying more as EI would recoup their pay out by increasing premiums you would have to pay through payroll deductions. It has been my experience(20 years in the public sector) that when there is a call in because of illness, the person who is ill is not replaced for that day, and if they were, most like be replaced by a casual worker at minimum expense with respect to benefits paid to that casual. You state you know a good many who use it all but in that statement, you fail to enlighten us on those who do not. I'll wager that those who do not far out weigh those who do. 'Who needs 21+ days a year sick leave?' you say....well as it seems you are one of the lucky......think of it this way....You have been working for about 20+ years. In those twenty years or so you may have taken only half a dozen days off sick....But today you are really ill so you visit your doctor.....After examination he gives you the great news that you have a serious liver problem and you're going to be off for a LONG time...MONTHS...You have maybe 300 or more days banked for sick leave. That sick leave is going to let you recover with minimal stress, knowing your pay check will be there with full pay and you don't have to wait to get it. Your mortgage, groceries, utilities, your medication and all the other items that you have a responsibility for will get paid. There is no need to draw EI at a reduced rate which actually penalizes you because of your illness.
If the stats you did are right, stat holidays and scheduled annual leave and family leave cannot be used as this inclusion; that skews the statistic with a higher occurrence of sick leave use. Your 63 days off is based on an individual taking ALL available time to him, which in any estimation, is a case of the extreme. I knew many of my coworkers who when they retired after 35 or 37 years left on the books over a year and a half of sick leave..one I knew hadn't taken a sick day in 35 years. He died six weeks after he retired. -
- Brian
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:22:40
I am one of these picketers in the picture. We want to thank everyone for their tremendous support. Everyone who pays into the E.I fund will be affected if this Short Term Disability gets pushed through. I can assure you that your E.I premiums will increase when Canada Post workers have to apply for E.I instead of using their banked sick leave. SHAME!!!
-
- John
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:19:34
Interesting Brian Collins. Could you elaborate? Is this denying access to leave already accumulated or is it a reduction in benifits. And, BTW EI payments would be cheaper on me as a tax payer than it would be for me to pay a sick leave day + another for the staff replacing you. I know there are legitimate workers who require to use their sickleave. I know a good many who use it all, with no real medical condition. People who have 25+ years in with 0 sickleave left. Perhaps, the use of EI (less benifits / waiting period) would make a worker think twice before calling in sick to have his or her long weekend. I was a unionized Fed worker in the HR department for 30 years so I know what I'm talking about. The sick leave abuse of a good many, not all forces agencies to take measures that go beyong the silly sick note requirement after X amount of sick days off. Who needs 21+ days a year sick leave? The stats we did out 10 years ago showed that the average full time worker actually worked only 3 days per week - at that time (21 sick days + 30 annual leave days + 9 paid stat days + 3 days family leave) - 63 days off a year?
-
- Wake
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:14:36
You'll NEVER win this.
Go back to work. -
- HoH oHo
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:13:39
Gerry Dunphy from Etobicoke, Ontario writes: Keep on protesting, Who cares,get your perks from your part time jobs. Who needs Canada Post anymore? those days are over, Have a Merry Christmas.
Gerry, you be a good boy now...or Santa will leave a lump of coal in your stocking...Your name is on my list to check twice so Santa is watching...Merry Christmas HoHoHo!!!! -
- Brian
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:11:38
John, you present a good arguement and I do appreciate it. Canada Post wants to freeze our banked sick leave, reduce our sick leave and make us apply for E.I. in the event that we are sick and if our insurance provider approves it. The banked sick leave would then top up the E.I. We have bargained in good faith in the past to achieve what we have now. It is our understanding that E.I. is for the unemployed, underemployed and for those who have run out of sick leave. With the current economic situation and the anticipated use of the E.I. fund, can you imagine the financial strain on this fund if profitable companies use E.I. to reduce their financial obligations and increase their bottom line? This should not be allowed and everyone should write their MP's and MHA's on this issue. Thanks.
-
- Bernadette
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:02:31
John
You asked for someone to explain. The new sick leave plan leaves an insurance company to decide if you are sick or not and how long it should take you to recover. Not a doctor, surgeon etc.. you get the picture. Canada Post has not in the last 18 years that I have been an employee given the leave that you mentioned in your comment. Canada Post employees gain 1.25 days per month worked of sick leave credit (max. 15 days). This sick leave could be used on an employee's word for 10 days and anything over that needs to be certified by a doctor. Our long term disability requires that you have 60 - 90 (I am not sure of the exact #) of sick leave and all of them need to be used before long term disability kicks in. The executives at CPC want to replace the current 15 days with 7 days and then turn the employee over to the insurance company (Manulife) for the first 15 weeks and then over to the Employment Insurance for weeks 16 - 30. Any sick leave over 30 weeks would be turned over to the long term disability provider. On another note no one replaces a PSAC-UPCE member when they are away sick for any short amount of time (flu) and more often that no when away for a moderate amount of time (surgery). The employee is expected to catch-up on the work that has accumulated when they are away for a few days otherwise to co-workers try to cover . I personally have not use a sick day for any reason in over two years and have over 250 days in my sick leave bank. But if I was diagnosed with cancer I would be at the mercy of an insurance company and Employment Insurance rather than being able to rely 100% on my accumulated sick leave. -
- greg
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:00:55
We care, Gerry. I've met your kind before. You sound a lot like one of those brash and bold , making the scene, flaunting convention,small-minded independent business types who whine and cry about how unfair it is government workers have well paying jobs and benefits. You think $16,000 a year is enough for anybody to live on, if they spend it wisely. You think overtime is a dirty word. You won't be happy until everyone is working for minimum wage , enslaved in the retail/service/ tourist industry. Thats when you'll raise your glass for a toast at the Board of Trade Luncheon. Well i got a flash for ya, Hotshot. Problem is, by then there will be no one left to buy the Chinese products on your shelves. Bon Apetite !
-
- dave
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:00:24
mr dunphy is from a big city area. too bad.he is depriving some village of a perfect idiot.
-
- Gerry
- - July 1st, 2010 at 19:56:22
Keep on protesting, Who cares,get your perks from your part time jobs. Who needs Canada Post anymore? those days are over, Have a Merry Christmas.
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