Ends almost two-year long process for CUPW
Rural and suburban mail carriers (RSMC) earned a victory on May 31, as an arbitrator ruled they do work of equal value to urban letter carriers and that there is a wage gap between the two groups.
Arbitrator Maureen Flynn rejected how Canada Post assessed RSMC compensation, accepting instead the methodology presented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), said the union.
“This is a great victory for RSMCs and all women,” said Nancy Beauchamp, pay equity committee member and chief negotiator for the RSMC bargaining unit. “Women in the workforce deserve respect, and that includes earning equal wages for doing a job of equal value to a man.”
Flynn directed CUPW and Canada Post to determine the compensation award. The parties must come to an agreement by Aug. 31 or Flynn will decide the amount of the award, said CUPW.
Nearly two-thirds of RSMCs are women. They make about 25 per cent less per hour than letter carriers, the majority of whom are male. They also receive fewer benefits, said the union.
The decision follows months of hearings and an almost two-year long process which began in 2016 during collective bargaining when CUPW and Canada Post agreed to an expedited pay equity process for RSMCs. A joint committee was established to study pay equity issues and implement changes in a timely manner, according to CUPW.
