Oh, that “P”. I thought maybe you meant a profit.
Evidence of meeting #37 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 42nd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was office.
Evidence of meeting #37 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 42nd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was office.
Conservative
Coordinator, Save Canada Post Campaign, Canadian Union of Postal Workers
That “P”. It's an unfortunate—
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
We're probably out of time, but I don't think that has ever—
Conservative
Conservative
NDP
Scott Duvall NDP Hamilton Mountain, ON
Thank you.
Thank you to our guests for showing up today and giving of your valuable time.
Ms. MacEachern, you mentioned something about cutting workers. Is that because they've restructured to a point where they've contracted out this type of work and they don't need that many workers, or have they restructured to a point where they're making overtime mandatory and overtime has gone through the roof?
Coordinator, Save Canada Post Campaign, Canadian Union of Postal Workers
Specific to what I was speaking about, or was it Gordon?
Coordinator, Save Canada Post Campaign, Canadian Union of Postal Workers
I was speaking about the rural post offices and the postmasters who are working there. They're cutting the hours in these offices and therefore, of course, their work is diminishing. They're going from full-time decent-paying jobs to part-time intermittent work. That's what I was referring to. As far as cutting the workforce is concerned, it's certainly happening in the major urban centres as well, in all of our offices. It's being justified by the lower numbers.
NDP
Scott Duvall NDP Hamilton Mountain, ON
Are those cutbacks through attrition, through people retiring, and the jobs are just not being replaced?
Coordinator, Save Canada Post Campaign, Canadian Union of Postal Workers
For some of those, yes, it is. They're justifying the cuts by saying we no longer need those positions.
NDP
Scott Duvall NDP Hamilton Mountain, ON
Also, and maybe Mr. MacDonald can answer this, I think you mentioned the pharmacies doing some of the mail. Do they charge the same price for handling that mail, or is there an increase? Do they feel that they can make up their own prices?
President, Local 117, Canadian Union of Postal Workers
I was already under the impression that they charge the same prices, but I'm working retail across the street from a Shoppers Drug Mart and my customers come back to me at the retail and tell us personally that they get charged more money to do their mailing at the Shoppers Drug Mart.
I haven't had that experience myself by going there, but I have customers on a daily basis come back and tell me so. They're just across the street.
NDP
Scott Duvall NDP Hamilton Mountain, ON
Maybe you can answer this, Mr. MacDonald. It's been reported that since they went to the community mailboxes and until the Liberals stopped it about a year ago, they saved about $400 million.
President, Local 117, Canadian Union of Postal Workers
Canada Post saved that?
NDP
Scott Duvall NDP Hamilton Mountain, ON
Okay, but here's my question. It's been reported that there's a $400-million savings going to community mailboxes, or they anticipate that—
President, Local 117, Canadian Union of Postal Workers
They just spent $200-plus million in the failed conversion.
NDP
Scott Duvall NDP Hamilton Mountain, ON
Okay, that's what my question was going to be. Do you know how much the start-up cost was to implement these mailboxes and the operating costs to keep them on an ongoing basis?
President, Local 117, Canadian Union of Postal Workers
Did you want to jump in on that, Kristen?
Coordinator, Save Canada Post Campaign, Canadian Union of Postal Workers
It is not something that I have sitting in front of me, but I believe you may have something sitting in front of you. The Delivering Community Power document speaks to the CMB conversion, I believe.
Coordinator, Save Canada Post Campaign, Canadian Union of Postal Workers
I lost my train of thought.
A lot of the costs of the CMBs being implemented is being downloaded onto the municipalities, as well as the snow removal.
NDP
Scott Duvall NDP Hamilton Mountain, ON
I'm getting to that, and this is where I'd like to ask something to Mr. White, who represents the businesses.
Canada Post has made a decision to go to the community mailboxes because of the high costs of labour and overall to make a profit, but some of those turnovers are causing grief to the municipality because Canada Post does not want to pay the road allowance permits when they put in the community mailboxes. It's taking away money from the municipality. Also, if the community mailbox is put into a place where it's not accessible because of a curb, there has to be a curb cut, which is done by the municipality. Then people are demanding lights. As well, there's the amount of garbage that is thrown around now, and that's being picked up by the municipality. Then there's the snow removal. What do you think of the business of picking up or subsidizing Canada Post's responsibility?
