Calgary small businesses anxious about potential post worker strike as holiday season looms

After Canada Post workers gave a 72-hour notice to strike early Tuesday, some Calgary business owners are worried about what this means for holiday season sales.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) said in a statement sent Tuesday morning that its executive board was giving the required 72-hours notice for both its rural and urban mail carrier bargaining units.

This means it will be in a legal strike position on Friday, exactly one year after talks on a new contract began.

The union said "the parties remain far apart on many issues," including wage increases, pensions and medical leave, despite talks that began in November of last year.

CBC News previously reported the CUPW was in a legal strike position as of Nov. 3, after a legally mandated cooling-off period. In a vote last month, more than 95 per cent of both urban and rural workers backed a strike mandate, the union has said.

Connor Curran, founder of Calgary-based clothing brand Local Laundry, said about 30 to 40 per cent of his business goes through Canada Post.

"Small businesses have been hit hard across the country," he told CBC Radio's the Calgary Eyeopener on Tuesday morning.

"One thing after another, tough economic times, rising costs, inflation, and this is just another blow that we do not need right now."

LISTEN | Local Laundry owner worried Canada Post strike using small businesses as 'a pawn':

Calgary Eyeopener6:06Canada Post

We hear how a potential work stoppage at Canada Post could affect businesses here in Calgary.

Curran saidthe looming threat of a postal worker strike around the holidays is deeply troubling, and he believes the timing of this strike notice is deliberate.

"It feels like [small businesses] are being used as a pawn in this whole ordeal," he said.

"We can't afford uncertainties."

He advised other small business owners to "stop using Canada Post at this point," and to start looking at FedEx and UPS accounts to make sure their business doesn't take a hit during the most crucial season for sales.

Victor Tipper, owner of The Hidden Gem Local Market, a local business in Calgary's northwest, called the possibility of a strike "very concerning, especially for small business owners."

"Anybody in this area of Kensington or downtown Calgary would tell you that they're very dependent on this time of year," said Tipper.

His business model isn't a typical gift shop The Hidden Gem Local Market is a business that offers a storefront selling space to about 100 local vendors, housing various wares from local artisans.

Tipper saida Canada Post strike would severely disrupt business, primarily impacting inventory levels for vendors who rely on the mail service to restock for the holiday shopping season.

Unfortunately, he said, some of the sellers who use the local market have already "lost trust in Canada Post."

With Black Friday right around the corner, the two business owners expressed frustrations around the timing of the potential strike. It's something Deborah Yedlin, president and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce believes could be on purpose.

"This is not anything we need right now, from an economic standpoint. This is really hard on small businesses that rely on Canada Post to send their products across the world," she said, adding she expects the chamber will be hearing from concerned business owners in Calgary in the days leading up to Friday.

"It's the worst time of the year, and it often is the pattern of Canada Post as well to sort of push it toward a very critical time of year for businesses as we get closer to the holiday season."

Yedlin saidonline commerce opened up a whole new marketplace for small businesses in Calgary and around the world, and the post office plays a vital role in assuring their products make it to market.

WATCH | Union representing Canada Post workers issues strike notice:

Canada Post workers' union issues 72-hour strike notice

2 days ago

Duration 1:27

The union representing Canada Post workers said it will be in a legal strike position on Friday. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers said that despite talks that began Nov. 15, 2023, 'the parties remain far apart on many issues,' including wage increases, pensions and medical leave.

Overall, she's concerned about the broader impact of inconsistencies within the Crown corporation's postal system.

"This is not something that makes Canada a reliable trading partner," said Yedlin.

"We actually have to get a handle on some of these labour issues and figure out a mechanism so that we don't get to this point. And we've gotten to this point far too often in the last couple of years."

'Public understands what inflation is,' says union rep

However, a local representative for the CUPW said the union is negotiating for fair wages to match inflation, as well as improved health and safety conditions for workers.

"We've taken so much in terms of rollbacks over the years," said Wycliffe Oduor, president of the CUPW's Calgary Local chapter.

"We are 55,000 strong members with families and loved ones, and the public understands what inflation is, and we've received support."

Even though the holiday season is rapidly approaching, he believes members of the public understand the pressures that the high cost of living has placed on families.

He's hoping to see Canada Post "invest in the people" that make up its workforce.

"During the pandemic, we were there. We extended our contract in the hope that Canada Post will come to the table and provide us with a negotiated contract," said Oduor.

"We've tried, and now we are at this position, so the public does understand because they go through the same things our members go through every single day of the week."