Photo: Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW)
September 26, 2025
The Right Honourable Mark Carney
Prime Minister of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
Re: Support for the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and Bargaining in Good Faith
Dear Prime Minister Carney,
I write to you on behalf of the Confederation of Canadian Unions (CCU) to express our full and unwavering support for the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) in their current strike action. As President of the CCU, I stand shoulder to shoulder with the tens of thousands of postal workers across this country who are courageously fighting for fair wages, decent benefits, safe working conditions, and the respect they deserve from their employer—the federal government.
For generations, postal workers have been the backbone of Canada’s public service network. They connect communities from coast to coast to coast. They ensure that seniors receive their pensions, that small businesses can thrive, that people in rural and remote communities maintain ties with their loved ones, and that essential goods reach Canadians every single day. Their contributions are indispensable, and yet they are being asked to shoulder wage freezes, eroded benefits, and unsafe workloads in the name of austerity and cost-cutting.
Prime Minister, the CUPW strike is not a reckless action—it is a necessary stand. Workers do not withdraw their labour lightly. Striking is always a last resort, taken only when the employer refuses to negotiate in good faith and when fundamental rights are on the line. In this case, CUPW has made it abundantly clear that they are fighting for fair wages that keep pace with inflation, secure pensions that ensure dignity in retirement, and job protections. These are not radical demands. They are basic and reasonable.
What is most troubling is the federal government’s unwillingness thus far to negotiate seriously with CUPW. Instead of returning to the bargaining table with constructive proposals, the government has too often relied on threats of back-to-work legislation and public messaging that frames postal workers as unreasonable. This is unacceptable.
I call on your government to abandon the path of confrontation and return immediately to meaningful negotiations with CUPW. Bargaining in good faith means listening to workers’ concerns, making genuine compromises, and ensuring that postal employees can maintain decent living standards. Anything less risks further alienating workers and damaging public trust in Canada Post as a vital public institution.
Prime Minister Carney, postal workers have been there for Canadians every single day—through economic crises, natural disasters, and even the global pandemic. Now they need your government to stand with them. Return to the bargaining table, negotiate in good faith, and deliver the wages, benefits, and respect these workers have earned. Anything less is unworthy of the values Canada is meant to uphold.
Sincerely,
Gregory Ball
President, Confederation of Canadian Unions
president@ccu-csc.ca
www.ccu-csc.ca
