Whitehorse’s postal workers went out on strike early this morning.

They are included in the latest rotation of the Canada Post strikes across the country.

The overall strike began on Oct. 22.

Keith Ellert, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) local 852 vice-president, said the Whitehorse workers were on strike as of 7 a.m. He added that word came in last night that Whitehorse would be included in the next round of walkouts.

He said he went to work at 6:45 this morning and brought everyone up to speed.

Postal workers set up their picket line at the Canada Post building on Range Road, near Two Mile Hill.

There were 20 people walking the picket line at mid-morning. Ellert said there is a large amount of support from the public, as drivers are honking as they pass the facility.

He believes there is a strong sense of solidarity, calling the support “fantastic.”

Ellert said the strike is expected to last 24 hours, and pickets will holding their line until 6 p.m. The national union could decide this rotation could last longer. In that event, he would not know in advance.

The union is asking for improved health and safety measures, saying postal workers have the highest rate of workplace injuries of any federal agency. He said the rate is four times the national average.

The next issue is mandatory overtime and the overburdening of letter carriers.

“This is a safety issue in and of itself, especially when you consider what a Yukon winter can be,” Ellert said.

He added postal employees are dealing with more work due to an increase in parcel volumes because of rising online shopping trends.

The union is also seeking greater job security. Again, he cited the overtime issue, stating that Canada Post needs to hire more full-time employees while not relying as much on part-time workers.

Another labour issue is the pay of rural/suburban mail carriers. He said these carriers make 25 per cent less than letter carriers. The former are paid by the route instead of the hour. The latter are paid by the hour.

This means, Ellert said, that rural/suburban mail carriers are only paid for five or six hours of work when it takes much longer to complete their route.

“It’s no wonder we’re seeing a higher injury rate,” Ellert said.

If anyone is interested in showing support, Ellert suggested, they should contact Yukon MP Larry Bagnell to let him know their concerns.

He feels the federal government needs to do something to help negotiate a new collective agreement with Canada Post. The union has been trying to get a new agreement for over a year.

Ellert said no one from the MP’s office, the territorial government nor the City of Whitehorse has appeared at the picket line at the time of this morning’s interview.

Canada Post spokesperson John Hamilton told the Star early this afternoon that Yukoners should not expect drop-off, pick-up nor delivery of mail during the next 24 hours. The strikes could last up to 48 hours in larger centres.

He was not able to say how the disruption was affecting Whitehorse directly, but he did say that the three current three weeks of strikes have caused back- logs in bigger centres.

Thus far, 150 centres have been shut down.

He advised anyone who was expecting any type of mail, be it a parcel or letter, to track it online to see how long it will be delayed.

The strike is concerning to Canada Post, Hamilton added, since Christmas is fast approaching. The holidays are a busy season for mail, and the situation could worsen the current back-logs.

He said business needs to return to normal quickly. Mediation has continued and will take place this weekend.

“We are at the table with a mediator,” he said.

According to the CUPW’s Twitter information, today’s strike rotation includes several communities in British Columbia.

Among them are Creston, Elk Valley, Golden, Grand Forks, Kimberly, Kitimat, Powell River, Prince Rupert, Smithers, Salmon Arm/Revelstoke, Sunshine Coast and Terrace.

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