Postage hikes challenged

CUPW says new postage hikes benefit big business

hurt single users, charities, and smaller businesses

31 March 2014 OTTAWA — Denis Lemelin, President of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) says that Canada Post’s new higher postage rates, which come into effect today, are structured to give big business a break while individuals and smaller organizations will pay more.

Speaking at a press conference today with New Democrat MP Alexandre Boulerice, Mr. Lemelin said stamp booklets, usually purchased by individuals and smaller companies, are shooting up from 63 cents per stamp to 85 cents while single stamps will cost a dollar.  Large-volume mailers, however, will pay only 69 or 70 cents per stamp.

Postage metre users will get a discount of 10 cents per stamp. The metres are manufactured and sold by the multinational corporation Pitney Bowes. Deepak Chopra was President and CEO of Pitney Bowes' Canadian division before taking the reins at Canada Post. 

“That’s the Conservative way," said Mr. Lemelin, "one standard for their corporate friends and another for the rest of us.”

In the wake of widespread popular opposition to its government-backed “5-Point Action Plan,” Canada Post has gone into damage control mode, offering some temporary “relief” discounts on postage to smaller businesses and charities. However, the union says this is not good enough.

“Canada Post is supposed to provide public postal service for all and that includes fair prices for all,” said Mr. Lemelin.

Rallies, door-to-door canvassing, town halls, petitions and other activities continue to take place across the country while the number of municipalities opposing Canada Post’s plan is growing.

To see CUPW's plan for a better public postal service for all, visit www.savecanadapost.ca.

For more information, please contact Kevin Matthews, CUPW Communications
kmatthews@cupw-sttp.org, 613-293-0547.