When talking to the public about our negotiations, I find that it helps to have a few facts at my fingertips….here are a few from the CUPW Media kit prepared by the Union’s communication specialists.
1) Letter Carriers and PO4s make $24.15 per hour, at the highest rate. Statistics Canada reports that as of March, 2011 the average full-time wage in Canada was $24.73. Postal workers make slightly less than the Canadian average…. So much for the “over paid” argument. CPC wants new hires to start at $18.00 per hour, substantially below the Canadian Average.
2) Canada Post made profits for 16 consecutive years, and over that time paid more than $1.2 Billion to the Canadian government in income tax and dividends. (Dividends: $589 million; income tax $654 million). Postal workers, through our hard work, created the profits that support our government with dividends and taxes. The government does not pay for our wages or working conditions.
3) Because of the productivity and moderate wages of postal workers, Canada Post made profits and paid dividends, while at the same time keeping postal rates low. Canada Post has one of the lowest standard postal rates in the industrialized world. In January, 1982 (just after Canada Post became a crown corporation) it cost $0.30 to send a standard letter within Canada. Today it is $0.59 -- an increase of 96.7%. Over the same time period, the Consumer Price Index (inflation) increased 128.8%.
While some members of the public are "union haters"; others will listen to the facts, if we present them.
1) Letter Carriers and PO4s make $24.15 per hour, at the highest rate. Statistics Canada reports that as of March, 2011 the average full-time wage in Canada was $24.73. Postal workers make slightly less than the Canadian average…. So much for the “over paid” argument. CPC wants new hires to start at $18.00 per hour, substantially below the Canadian Average.
2) Canada Post made profits for 16 consecutive years, and over that time paid more than $1.2 Billion to the Canadian government in income tax and dividends. (Dividends: $589 million; income tax $654 million). Postal workers, through our hard work, created the profits that support our government with dividends and taxes. The government does not pay for our wages or working conditions.
3) Because of the productivity and moderate wages of postal workers, Canada Post made profits and paid dividends, while at the same time keeping postal rates low. Canada Post has one of the lowest standard postal rates in the industrialized world. In January, 1982 (just after Canada Post became a crown corporation) it cost $0.30 to send a standard letter within Canada. Today it is $0.59 -- an increase of 96.7%. Over the same time period, the Consumer Price Index (inflation) increased 128.8%.
While some members of the public are "union haters"; others will listen to the facts, if we present them.
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