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Postal workers unhappily head back to work

After back-to-work legislation was passed by the federal government, Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) from local 746 in Grand Forks are going back to work.
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CUPW local 746 Vice-President Gregg Anderson (right) and Coun. Gene Robert address the crowd at a rally for locked out postal workers last week.

Federal legislation has forced postal workers back to work as of Monday. This has left a bitter taste in the mouth of the union workers and supporters.

In Grand Forks, Gregg Anderson, vice-president for Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) local 746, said that the legislation takes away the constitutional right to bargain and to get a collective agreement.

“We didn’t get a collective agreement, we got our employer’s demands imposed on us,” Anderson said.

“Canada Post stopped negotiating with us because they knew the government had this draconian legislation ready to go and they would get everything they wanted. And they have.”

Anderson said that there was no longer any middle ground or bargaining and that CUPW will not be defying the legislation and told its members to go back to work.

“This is an attack on all organized labour,” he added. “For some reason the Conservative government doesn’t like the middle class.”

Federal NDP Member of Parliament Alex Atamanenko said he doesn’t agree with the legislation or the way it was put forth.

“This is an affront to the whole collective bargaining process,” Atamanenko said.

“I think it sends a message that Harper and his guys, they don’t respect collective bargaining and they certainly don’t have any respect for labour.”

Atamanenko said that with the rotating strikes, the workers were still willing to continue work to get the mail out.

“We had the lockout and immediately a piece of legislation comes through that offers a wage settlement that’s less than what Canada Post had offered these guys in their initial negotiations,” he said.

Atamanenko said the NDP took advantage of their parliamentary right to speak on this bill and could’ve continued all week.

“While this was taking place, our party, our labour critic and others were involved with the union and others in management and government to try to get some kind of an acceptable deal as part of this legislation – even though we do not agree with legislating people back to work we thought, at least, we could amend it so it would be more accessible to the workers,” he said.

“We were really close to having something, but the government refused. I think it sends a message of who’s going to be next on the chopping block.”

He said one of the things that  the NDP tried to change is the Final Offer Clause that makes the job of the arbitrator to pick one or the other’s contract, rather than creating a compromise for both sides.

“The arbitrator must choose either what’s presented by management or what’s presented by the union. There’s no middle ground.”

He attributes its likeness to that of the Conservative’s erosion of the judicial system, which he said takes away the judge’s power.