Canadian Postal Strike Continues

Canada’s postal strike continued for into a sixth day Wednesday, with rotating work stoppages reaching the Western cities of Calgary and Edmonton, a spokeswoman for Canada Post said Wednesday.

While postal carriers and sorters have manned picket lines in rotating strikes around the country since Friday, Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers continue to negotiate, the Vancouver Sun reported.

The two sides differ over staffing, pensions and short-term disability issues, news reports said.

Mail and package volume has dropped by half over the past five days, said Anick Losier, a Canada Post spokeswoman. She said she did not know much business has flowed to couriers.

The strike began with walkouts by postal workers in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Hamilton, Ontario, last week, followed by picketing in Montreal.

Losier said walkouts in Moncton, New Brunswick, and Victoria, British Columbia, were over and that mail delivery in both cities have resumed, although volumes are lower.