A passionate group of about 30 people gathered outside the Supreme Court in downtown St. John’s Saturday morning for a demonstration about pay equity among Canada’s mail carriers.
The demonstrators said Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMCs) make 25 per cent less than their urban counterparts. They also highlighted the fact that about two-thirds of RSMCs are women, while the majority of urban letter carriers are men.
RSMC Kay Patey spoke at the rally. She started with Canada Post in 2001, and said the issue of pay equity really hits home for her during Christmas.
“As the public is aware, we do deliver on Saturdays and Sundays over the holidays. When letter carriers and RSMCs are loading up their vehicles and going out door-to-door with the customers’ parcels in time for the holidays, we are not treated the same. Letter carriers are getting paid double their hourly rate, while the RSMCs are getting one dollar per parcel that’s delivered, plus our drive time, which is approximately 90 cents per kilometer. So basically, we’re getting $1.98.”
Patey said she attended the rally because she wants to see fair treatment.
“What we’re looking for is to have equal pay and equal benefits, and we just want to be treated the same way.”
Outside Supreme Court, the demonstrators were a mix of RSMCs and urban letter carriers. The urban workers also said they don’t think it’s fair that the people who are doing the same job as them, but are simply doing it in a rural or suburban area, are getting paid less.
Todd Murray is the chief shop steward, part-time paid officer of the St. John’s 126 Local Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW). He deals with grievances and arbitrations for the local.
“Equal work, equal pay. It’s simple. It’s been an ongoing issue for way too long, and we’re quite tired of it at this point.”
Hearings began Feb. 13 into the largest active pay equity case in the country. At the end of collective bargaining in 2016, CUPW and Canada Post reached a separate agreement to expedite the pay equity process for RSMCs.
A joint committee was established to study the RSMC pay equity issues and implement the changes within 19 months, but now the findings are in dispute and the two sides decided at the end of February to go to arbitration.
Canada Post has previously dismissed the union’s allegations, stating it provides its employees with fair compensation based on the value of the work that is done.
Each side will present its case, with the hopes of having the hearings done by mid-April. From there the arbitrator will issue a decision, expected by the end of May.
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