Arbitrator in CUPW negotiations granted six-month extension. The Minister of Labour has agreed to extend the arbitration process by six months, to June 30, 2020, at the request of the arbitrator.  Arbitrator Elizabeth MacPherson, whose mandate was set to expire on December 31, 2019, now has until the end of June to deliver two new collective agreements between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW-Urban and CUPW-RSMC).

Canada Post online delivery business could take a big hit in the case of a postal strike

The two parties have been in arbitration since January of last year.  Arbitrator MacPherson intends to write her decision in May, have it translated in June and table it on deadline.There can be no legal work disruption during the arbitration process. Magazine publishing is still largely a mail-order business with fewer options than other mailers have. The industry relies on a healthy, efficient postal system. A strike will cause cash-flow and customer-service chaos in the short term. Longer-term implications are more troubling.