Strike action planned for today in Toronto, Scarborough and Montreal by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers is largely moot, as Canada Post has already triggered a three-day delivery plan in urban areas that skips Tuesdays and Thursdays.

CUPW says Canada Post is trying to provoke a national walkout in order to pressure the government for back-to-work legislation. But the union says it still wants a negotiated settlement.

A story in today's Globe and Mail says Canada Post fears volume declines caused by the strike may never come back in the long term. Canada Post says it has lost $65 million in revenue so far.

Canada Post says it must attack its cost structure to sustain a shrinking business in the future, and has proposed lower starting wages for new employees and less-generous sick-leave and pension plans.