Canada Post workers vote to accept tentative deal

Canada Post workers vote in favour of tentative deal

Vote lays to rest years of strife between Canada Post and the union representing postal workers

Canada Post workers have voted in favour of a new contract, ending years of tensions and back and forth negotiations between the union and the Crown corporation, including nation-wide strikes.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), which represents 55,000 postal workers, says its members voted overwhelmingly in favour of ratifying the tentative deal reached in December 2025, with 85.9 per cent voting to accept it.

The union says about 86 per cent of rural and suburban mail carriers voted to accept the contract, and 89 per cent of urban workers gave it the green light.

"Over the course of this round of bargaining, postal workers have faced enormous challenges," said CUPW's national president, Jan Simpson, in a statement announcing the results.

"It has not been easy, but members have stood strong."

Workers took to picket line several times

The yes vote puts to bed years of sparring between Canada Post and the union over wages and structural changes to the postal service, with workers having taken to the picket line on multiple occasions throughout the bargaining process.

In a statement from Canada Post, the Crown corporation's president and CEO, Doug Ettinger, welcomed the yes vote.

“With the stability of new agreements in place, we look forward to working with our employees and bargaining agents to rebuild the business, restore confidence in the postal system and better serve the country," he said in a statement.

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The deal includes wage increases of 6.5 per cent in the first year, three per cent in the second and increases matching the annual inflation rate in years three to five.

A weekend parcel delivery model and better benefits were also in the deal.

Canada Post lost $205M in 1st quarter

Canada Post employees cast ballots between April 20 and May 30. Both sides agreed not to engage in any strikes or lockouts while the ratification vote took place, though employees were also set to vote on whether to authorize a strike mandate in case they rejected the deal.

In a March newsletter, 60 per cent of the national executive board recommended that workers vote in favour of ratifying the tentative deal. But Simpson, the national president, and four other union leaders issued a minority report saying the agreement failed to make gains on a number of issues related to compensation and worker rights and encouraged workers to vote against the tentative agreement.

The ratification vote follows first quarter results from Canada Post on Friday that show the Crown corporation lost $205 million in the first three months of the year. The postal service has been underwater with debt in recent years as it has struggled to compete against private couriers.

Abby Hughes is a writer with CBC News based in Toronto. Originally from Orillia, Ont., she studied journalism at Toronto Metropolitan University. She covers news from the worlds of business, entertainment, health, science and education, and her favourite stories focus on the real people in those areas — the customers, fans, patients, citizens and students. You can reach her with story ideas at abby.hughes@cbc.ca.

With files from the Canadian Press