Executives of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers spent the weekend deliberating the union's next steps in the protracted labour negotiations, issuing this statement: "All members should be prepared to participate in strike action in the very near future."

The earliest a postal strike could happen is June 3, as CUPW must give 72-hours notice. (Note that Parliament resumes sitting June 2.)

CUPW criticized Canada Post management for not addressing the union's demands in a meaningful way. "Instead of dealing with the issues and making counter-proposals, [management] exaggerated the cost [of the union's proposal] so they could issue a news release attacking the Union," CUPW stated. Canada Post said the union's demands would cost $1.4 billion, which the union says was a "media stunt" not backed by any real numbers.

Canada Post submitted a revised final offer on May 24. It has been warning for years that declining postal volumes and rising labour and pensions costs don't square. CUPW has countered by noting that Canada Post returns a profit, more could be done to generate volume, and that legitimate grievances have been ignored.

In the event of a strike, all postal operations will cease with the exception of pension and social assistance payments, which would be delivered by volunteer union carriers. Canada Post promises to secure any materials caught in the mail stream during a strike.