RSMC's | CUPW Local 630

RSMC's

Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMCs) ratified a collective agreement on September 30, 2003, making them CUPW members and Canada Post employees. This move allowed RSMCs the opportunity to bargain collectively for fair wages and work conditions. 6,000 RSMCs deliver mail in rural and suburban areas. Seventy percent are women and over thirty percent of RSMCs work out of offices with letter carriers and clerks. The rest work with rural postmasters.

CPC Failed in Their Attempt to Change Arbitrator MacPherson’s Award on RSMC Variable Allowance, Knowledge Sort and Civic Address Allowance

Announcements, Negotiations 2018July 10, 2020

Following the publication of the arbitration award of Arbitrator MacPherson, Canada Post management formally requested that she correct her award with respect to the monetary increases for the variable allowance (householder delivery) and the knowledge sort and civic address allowance. On June 29, 2020, after hearing arguments from the legal counsel of both CUPW and…

Access to Information for Letter Carrier and RSMC Restructures

Announcements, Negotiations 2018July 9, 2020

Fairly early on in this process, the parties were able to negotiate and sign language giving the Union access to the information that Canada Post uses to restructure letter carrier and RSMC routes. To many of you this may not appear to be related to overburdening, but it is one of the keys that will…

RSMC Job Retention

Announcements, Negotiations 2018June 30, 2020

Job Retention is new for RSMCs. Since RSMCs are now paid the derived hourly rate of Letter Carriers, there could be an incentive for Canada Post to contract out bargaining unit work. CUPW needed to ensure the work that RSMCs perform every day is protected. Why Was This Needed? CUPW argued that there was little…

Job Security – RSMC

Announcements, Negotiations 2018June 29, 2020

At a time when many workers are losing job security protections, CUPW has been successful in securing job security for RSMCs! CUPW was clear from the outset, to both the Arbitrator and the Corporation, that this was one of our key demands for RSMCs for this round of bargaining. With the Pay Equity decision, RSMCs…

Wage Increases and Retroactivity

Announcements, Negotiations 2018June 24, 2020

Arbitrator MacPherson awarded the Urban and RSMC bargaining units the same wage increases as follows: 2018: 2.0% 2019: 2.0% 2020: 2.5% 2021: 2.9% The RSMC increases are effective January 1st of each year and the Urban increases are effective February 1st of each year as these are the effective dates of the collective agreements. The…

RSMC Overtime Payment

Announcements, Negotiations 2018June 18, 2020

During the arbitration process imposed through Bill C-89, CUPW proposed many changes to the payment of hours worked by RSMCs, including regular, overtime, and weekend hours. For us, it is inconceivable that a worker would not be paid for all his or her hours of work. Arbitrator MacPherson’s award only covers hours worked in excess…

RSMC Decision!

Announcements, COVID-19June 11, 2020

Today we received the long awaited interest arbitration decision from Arbitrator Elizabeth MacPherson. Below is a summary of this decision and how it will impact RSMCs. The Following Was Imposed by the Arbitrator Duration As per the parties agreement, this will be a 4 year collective agreement expiring on December 31, 2021. Wages The wage…

Change in Work Methods for RSMCs

Announcements, COVID-19April 30, 2020

Canada Post has notified the Union that they are changing the work methods for RSMCs. In regard to Personal Contact Items (PCIs), CPC has decided that there will no longer be a 0.5 KM rule. CUPW had agreed to this as a temporary measure during the COVID-19 crisis as long as this is voluntary. It…

RSMC Pay for Self Isolation and Quarantine Leave

AnnouncementsMarch 13, 2020

AMENDED The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) met with the Canada Post Corporation (CPC) on March 13th, 2020. CUPW requested further information on CPC’s procedure for RSMCs who have been told by health professionals to self-isolate and/or quarantine themselves. CPC responded that RSMCs who have a health professional’s note or self-isolate and/or quarantine themselves…

Stay Vocal, Stay Mobilized. It Works!

Announcements, Negotiations 2018December 20, 2019

We informed you last month when the federally-appointed arbitrator on our Urban Postal Operations and RSMC collective agreements applied for an extension of her mandate. We now have official notice that the extension has been granted, as you may have heard in the news this week. The term is extended to June 30, 2020. Not…

Union Dues Recovery for RSMC Members

AnnouncementsDecember 18, 2019

On your October 17, 2019 pay, there was a deduction for union dues arrears. This should have been the final deduction for union dues arrears due to the pay equity decision. Unfortunately, Canada Post made an error in the calculation. They did not deduct union dues on the retroactive rest period allowance payment (RPA). How…

Canadian Tire Neighbourhood Mail – RSMC

AnnouncementsOctober 16, 2019

Following a National Executive Board decision, members of the rural unit will be delivering a Canadian Tire neighbourhood mail item starting on November 12, 2019. Without a memorandum of agreement, the Canada Post Corporation has the right under the RSMC collective agreement to demand that delivery take place in a single day and be compensated…

Pay Equity Phase Three Payment

AnnouncementsSeptember 20, 2019

Phase three of RSMC retro payment will be on the October 17th pay. This payment will cover the retro payments for the Rest Period Allowance (RPA), Personal Contact Items (PCI) and admail (Neighbourhood Mail). All items, with the exception of admail, will cover from January 1, 2016 up until the October 17 pay period. On…

RSMC Uniform: New Points System

AnnouncementsSeptember 18, 2019

IMPORTANT: You have until September 30, 2019 to use your actual points. During this round of negotiations, the parties agreed language that gives RSMC employees the same uniform entitlement as Urban Letter Carriers. Hence, the same uniform and the same colour. As part of the transition to the new points system, all existing points that…

National Committee on RSMC Work Content and Workload

AnnouncementsSeptember 12, 2019

On July 4, CUPW and the employer signed a Memorandum of Agreement to establish a committee to review the work content and workload of RSMCs. We need three (3) union representatives on this committee. Its mandate will be to determine and assess the RSMC work content and workload, allowing both parties to have informed discussions…

Pay Equity Retro Wage Adjustment and Mediation

Announcements, Negotiations 2018August 30, 2019

We are coming up to the final phase of the wage adjustment for Pay Equity. As of now, we are on course for the payment to be released sometime in October. Phase 3 payment will include payments for Rest Period Allowance, PCIs and Admail. RSMCs will also see adjustments on their Schedule A for activity…

Working in the Heat

Announcements, Health & SafetyJune 26, 2019

While summer has been late to arrive in many regions, some have already experienced heat waves, and it is very likely that more will occur again this year. Find out about the dangers posed by heatwaves. Take the necessary precautions and encourage your brothers and sisters to do the same. Take Precautions Slow down. Your…

Pay Equity – Outstanding Issues

Announcements, Negotiations 2018June 20, 2019

While the retroactive wages have been paid and the phase three payments remain on track for this fall, there are other issues we are working on. Issues in Dispute 1. Isolated Post Allowances (IPA): Canada Post is refusing to pay the IPA on all hours worked as is the case in the Urban Operations unit.…

RSMC Pay Equity Retro Wage Payment

AnnouncementsJune 7, 2019

The retro wage portion of the pay equity award will be paid on June 13, 2019. Below is information provided by Canada Post. A detailed breakdown of the underlying data will be available, for each pay period in the retroactive period, on Employee Self Serve (ESS) beginning on Sunday June 9th. When you log in…

Error in Dues Collection for RSMC permanent Relief Employees

AnnouncementsNovember 29, 2018

This bulletin is to inform you that CUPW and Canada Post have found an error in the way union dues have been calculated and deducted for Permanent Relief Employees (PRE) in the Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC) bargaining unit. In accordance with a resolution adopted by the National Executive Board, monthly union dues calculations…

RSMC Pay Equity Implementation Update!

Announcements, Negotiations 2018November 23, 2018

The Pay Equity Implementation Committee has been meeting with Canada Post representatives to establish timelines for the payment of the retroactive amounts owing to RSMCs. These payments will be made in lump sum amounts. Wage Increase: On January 1, 2019, the activity values, on a going forward basis, will be adjusted to reflect the letter…

RSMC Global Offer!

Announcements, Negotiations 2018November 17, 2018

On Saturday, November 17, 2018 we responded to Canada Post’s November 14th global offer by presenting them with a global offer that addresses our needs and our demands. A Negotiated Collective Agreement is Possible We believe that our proposal can be the basis of a collective agreement. To that end we have requested that the…

RSMC Job and Income Security

Announcements, Negotiations 2018November 15, 2018

Canada Post has been saying in the media that they have offered “job security”. What Canada Post has offered is not real job security for the RSMCs whose jobs might be eliminated. Why Is Job Security So Important? RSMC’s work has been recognized as being of equal value to the work of letter carriers and…

RSMC – Another CPC Proposal

Announcements, Negotiations 2018November 14, 2018

Your negotiating committee has now had an opportunity to review and analyze the new RSMC global offer that we received from Canada Post on November 14, 2018 in the afternoon. Canada Post says this latest offer will expire at 11:59 pm on Saturday, November 17, 2018. Canada Post has made some movements towards addressing our…

More Than Equity, On To Equality

Announcements, Negotiations 2018October 29, 2018

Earlier this year an arbitrator ruled that the work of Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC) is of equal value to their urban counterparts, but there are still numerous issues to address before RSMCs have rights and conditions that are truly equal. Two of these issues are: Read more (PDF)

CUPW Issues 72-Hour Strike Notices

Announcements, Negotiations 2018October 16, 2018

Today, your National Executive Board issued what is known as a “72-hour strike notice” to Canada Post for both the RSMC and Urban units. The National Executive Board has decided that the strike will begin on Monday morning, October 22, 2018, at 00:01 should we not have reached negotiated settlements. The National Executive Board has…

Long Weekend Update: RSMC

Announcements, Negotiations 2018October 9, 2018

Your negotiating committee worked hard all weekend in an attempt to get a negotiated collective agreement. Unfortunately, many key issues remain unresolved. We made some progress but we still have a long way to go to get a good settlement. Read more (PDF)

RSMC – CPC Counter Proposal

Announcements, Negotiations 2018October 3, 2018

Your negotiating committee has now had an opportunity to review and analyse the new RSMC global offer that we received from Canada Post on October 3, 2018 in the afternoon. In an attempt to jumpstart these negotiations, Canada Post withdrew some of its rollbacks that were in the September 7 global offer. Canada Post has…

RSMC Global Offer

Announcements, Negotiations 2018September 14, 2018

On Friday, September 14, 2018 we responded to Canada Post’s September 7th global offer by presenting them with a global offer that addresses our needs and our demands. We are determined to achieve significant improvements in the RSMC collective agreement and equality for RSMCs. Read more (PDF)

The End of Pay Equity Mediation

Announcements, Negotiations 2018August 31, 2018

Yesterday, August 30, was the final meeting in our attempts to negotiate all the terms for implementing the pay equity settlement that were not settled in Arbitrator Flynn’s May 31 decision. Today is the deadline, after which all remaining issues are to be settled by Arbitrator Flynn. We’ve certainly made progress in these ninety days,…

RSMCs One Step Closer to Pay Equity

Announcements, Negotiations 2018August 28, 2018

Corporation Fully Capable of Absorbing One-Time Payment Canada Post announced today a second quarter loss of $242 million, but this should not be seen as an indication of the overall health of the corporation. The loss is due to a one-time payment which Canada Post will have to make to settle their longstanding pay-equity issue…

RSMCs Say: Get Serious Canada Post

Announcements, Negotiations 2018August 2, 2018

After two frustrating months of “intense negotiations”, none of our major demands have been the object of an agreement in principle. It seems to us that CPC is just stalling… Here are a few of our demands that have been the focus of discussion for the past months. Read More (PDF)

Pay Equity Hearings Over: Decision Coming

AnnouncementsMay 2, 2018

The pay equity arbitration hearings are over and we are now waiting for arbitrator Flynn to render her decision. She has informed the parties that we can expect a decision within 30 days. CUPW’s Position is Simple, Logical and Reflects Reality CUPW maintains that RSMCs perform work of equal value to letter carriers and therefore…

RSMC Delivery Policy – Non Major Urban Centres

AnnouncementsApril 17, 2018

Implementation At the April 10, 2018 RSMC National Consultation the Corporation indicated that, commencing April 23, 2018, it is their intent to update the delivery process for parcels. This change affects more than 6,000 routes. The change in the delivery process treats all parcels as “to the door” or Personal Contact Items (PCI), which impacts…

Become an RSMC Peer Trainer

AnnouncementsMarch 19, 2018

CUPW is looking for RSMC members who would like to become facilitators. This responsibility consists of delivering training to your Sisters and Brothers on the work floor. The training would include work methods and the use of the reaching device (RRD) for mail delivery to rural mailboxes. Facilitators called upon to provide the training will…