Rural Mail Carriers and your public post office need your help

Canada Post is treating our workers like second class citizens

RSMC's (Rural and surburban mail carriers) do a larger size route than a letter carriers walk, and deliver all their parcels, all with our own vehicle and pay their own gas. Fuel prices has sky rocketed, without the corporation paying to RSMCʼs for delivery. But, Canada Post will gladly pay for another employee or contractors (No proper clearances ) to deliver the letter carriers parcels, with a Canada Post vehicle and a gas card. If that doesn't hurt enough, they also get monthly bonuses for their flyers that they deliver, but we are paid less per flyer, less time to deliver, and the RSMCʼs aren't even paid for all the flyers they do. But wait, it gets worse. Then, this spring in some facilities, each letter carrier was called over the loud speaker to come in and get their annual bonus cheque; while the RSMC's got to hear, and, watch one by one, go in to get their cheques.

Postal workers received the Canada Corporation magazine that says, how well the corporation did in cut backs last year, and announcing on the front cover how great the bonuses were for everyone,........everyone? Really? And again...they can't do a thing about this because CPC doesnʼt give a shit about the RSMC's especially, very little about their other workers either, just they have a better collective agreement from before the new CEO took over.

Prior to 2004 the RSMCʼs were not employees of Canada Post, they held individual contracts with the corporation. Since 2004 gas prices have risen dramatically, and the RSMCʼs who perform this work, are finding it increasingly difficult to perform their work, and cover the increased costs of fuel.

FACTS:

RSMCʼs receive no sick days

In most outlets RSMCʼs must provide their own replacement worker if they wish to take their holidays, and CPC holds up the

security clearances for replacements, sometimes taking 9 months to be completed. Effectively denying RSMCʼs their annual leave, as CPC threatens discipline if they take it without obtaining a replacement.

RSMCʼs are not entitled to overtime, CPC says they have to authorize the Overtime, but, they always refuse to.

Many RSMCʼs are making less than minimum wage, subsidizing CPC for soaring fuel costs. CPC charges a fuel surcharge to customers due to the increase in fuel costs, but keep it, and has announced they are requesting a 2 cent raise in stamps, and another 2 cent raise in 2 years. They claim the raise is required due to the price of fuel, and operating costs. Operating costs they donʼt pay RSMCʼs out of their raises CPC gets from the public.

Many RSMCʼs are evaluated below the 8 hours but in effect work 8 hours, and some are evaluated at 8 hours and do 12 or 14 hours, as they are on piece work.

60 % of RSMCʼs are women.

Many RSMCʼs when they exercise their right to complain are disciplines and/or fired, noting bogus reasons for their dismissal.

Many RSMCʼs are quitting because ,they just canʼt afford to deliver the mail anymore, as they are subsidizing CPC for delivery.

Some of these routes are being filled by Contractors..

We Need to stir up more interest from everybody about the treatment of RSMCʼS, it might be

useful to remind them that, the CEO of Canada Post looks at the RSMCʼS, to where she wants to bring our postal system, profit for the large corporations and ignore the general publics needs

This is another reason why it is so vitally important to support the RSMC,s in their struggle, because it is also really, all Canadians struggle to stop the CEOʼs efforts.