Our negotiated Cost of Living Allowance will take effect once again to help members deal with inflation.
Please see below a brief explanation of the unresolved national policy grievance on the COLA language in our collective agreement under clause 35.09.
National Policy Grievance
Please note, the information below is subject to change should we win our National Grievance (N00-22-00005). In dispute is the date of the base month for the calculations of COLA amounts owed. Canada Post Corporation has confirmed that it will pay the COLA payments as below, calculated in accordance with their position on the base month.
Amounts
The COLA is reviewed and paid, quarterly if required. The quarter in question is August to October 2022.
In CPC’s view, the base month for the COLA in the contract renewal is January 2022. The January 2022 CPI was 145.3, so the adjusted index for comparison is 153.0. The October 2022 CPI was 153.8, which exceeds the adjusted index by 0.8.
Therefore, Urban members will be paid a COLA of 15 cents per hour for hours paid in that three month period.
Sample Calculation
The allowance is calculated for all hours paid from August to October, so calculations will vary from member to member. As a baseline, though, a member who worked full time throughout the quarter, excluding overtime, will have 520 hours. At 15 cents per hour, the Cost of Living Allowance would be approximately $78.
The payments will be paid as a lump sum on your March 2, 2023 pay.
In Solidarity,
Carl Girouard
National Grievance Officer