Labour Union's information picket today to tell how high fuel costs hurting colleagues

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SAINT JOHN - Postal workers will be holding an information picket at the main post office in Saint John this afternoon in support of rural mail carriers.

Members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers will gather at 4 p.m. to help educate the public about the plight of the rural carriers who are suffering financially because of rising fuel costs.

Rural and suburban mail carriers, who used to be independent contractors, were absorbed into the CUPW fold during the last contract negotiations in 2003. But they weren't granted the same wages and benefits as the regular carriers.

"They're members of CUPW, but they're under a separate contract," said local CUPW vice-president Don Watson.

"I work as a letter carrier. I deliver parcels and do the same work as the rural drivers do, within a little different framework. I'm not required to put fuel in my truck to deliver the parcels when the price of gas is going up the way it has recently."

Watson says the union has been trying to get more money for the rural carriers through a clause in the contract.

"They have what's called an opener - every two years parts of the contract would be re-examined and possibly changed.

"The problem - what's driving this picket right now - is that Canada Post is basically treating these people as second-class citizens. They are locked into a wage package that's much different than ours and they are required to provide many things that other workers wouldn't be responsible for. They're required to provide their own vehicle and they have to pay their own expenses."

Watson explained that while the rural and suburban carriers were brought into the CUPW fold in 2003, Canada Post has frozen their rate of pay. He added that one such route in the Saint John area has grown from 900 stops to more than 1,500 during the ensuing five years, but the carrier is paid at the same rate, even though Canada Post is currently charging its customers a fuel surcharge in light of recent increases at the pumps.

"Their rates of pay were fixed when they joined our union five years ago and there's been no real movement on it. Now, we see fuel prices skyrocketing and although Canada Post is charging a fuel surcharge to its customers, they refuse to consider any serious efforts to pass that along to the people who are actually delivering the parcels - in the case the rural route drivers."

"Costs are skyrocketing and there's been absolutely no movement whatsoever to try to help those people with that situation. What's all is said and done, some people are working for less than minimum wage and Canada Post is fully aware of this - they have been for years, yet they choose to do nothing about it."

Watson said the easiest solution would be to make the rural carriers eligible to the same benefits as their peers in the city.

"The fix is very easy - make them full-fledged employees," he said. "It's the right thing to do.

"They're not even provided with uniforms. I can't imagine why. We're all about corporate image and branding - why wouldn't we give them a uniform?"

Watson says today's picket will be peaceful. Postal workers simply want to let the public know about the struggles of the rural carriers.

"We're not radicals. We're not trying to bring the corporation down to its knees and ruin it," he said. "But these people can't keep going in the situation they're in.

"I don't suspect we're going to see any great change in policy, but it's just something that we have to do. These people deserve a fair shake and they're just not getting it. It's 2008 and the corporation talks about how they value their employees as valuable assets and on the other hand these people are starving.

"We're certainly not going to block access to the post office, in fact we like them to use the post office. We just have some issues and concerns we want to raise on behalf of the rural route drivers."