The Sundre post office could experience a disruption in its mail service after July 2 if labour negotiations fall through, potentially resulting in either a strike or lockout.
However, a memorandum of agreement between Canada Post and its employees will ensure residents would still receive certain mail, said the president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) Local 818, which represents 264 postal workers in an area stretching as far south as the Carstairs-Cremona area, as far north as Lacombe, east to Stettler and west to Rocky Mountain House.
“Both sides agree to volunteer to process and deliver government payments —which include federal, provincial and municipal — to senior citizens, low income people, and others who receive pension cheques and other various forms of social assistance,” Barb Lilly told the Round Up on Monday morning, reading aloud an excerpt from the memorandum.
“That's the only time that some of our members can cross the line is to deliver pension checks and other forms of government payments,” she said, adding postal workers don't want residents who depend on such mail to go without it.
Additionally, any live animals that are being transported will also be available to pick up, she said.
The Sundre post office has three rural suburban mail carriers who are with the CUPW, while the others are represented by the Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association, she said.
“Sometimes smaller offices have two different bargaining units.”
The Local 818 held its strike vote over the weekend, she said, adding it was now a matter of waiting for final numbers on a national level.
The Sundre post office should remain open if negotiations fail, but if there's a lockout, mail could dry up as the sorting depots in Calgary and Edmonton would be shut down. If the carriers call a strike, inside workers at the Calgary mail plant would continue to distribute mail to regional post offices, but she could not speculate as to how individual post offices might be impacted.
A Canada Post spokesperson said last week he also could not speculate on the potential effects of a labour disruption, but added that officials were working hard to find a resolution.
“We are committed to using every minute that's left until the end of June in order to get a fair deal,” said Mouktar Abdillahi.
