Potential Canada Post Strike????

[cactusgirl]

Sometimes I feel so out of the loop. My household does not have television (it was one or the other and internet won) and so I don't always get the latest news. This morning I got an email from my CC company suggesting that I go 'paperless' in order to avoid missing my statement in the event of a postal strike....wth?? So I immediately google 'potential Canada Post strike' and up come a bunch of links. Where the heck have I been?

So now, not only are we all bracing for the potential chaos that may come on the heels of the implementation of C-36, we also have to contend with a potential CP strike (the earliest date for a potential work disruption would be midnight on May 24, 2011) before that happens....ugh.

Wow...I need to order some backup's.....<sigh>

 

[VapourGuy]

Its a good thing there incompetence has already made most of us use to waiting forever to have are packages delivered.

 

[Kams Cats]

My latest parcel.
2011/05/16 06:06 KITCHENER Canada Post processing error; item re-routed. Possible delay

So if Canada post goes on strike how are we supposed to notice?

 

[Nascar_Perry]

The last one I remembered was at the end of 2008, I had to work at the Gateway in Mississauga as a Temp Contract Postal Inspector watching over a gatehouse... Waste of resources

 

[Danesnpits]

I got the same thing today from my credit card companys telling me to go paperless due to a strike. Seriously Canada is PMO. I am so done with this crap! LMAO..I got a crap load of stuff coming through the mail. Like it will be like christmas around here in the next few weeks with all my orders coming. JEEPERS! You just can't win in this country.

 

[Concat]

There was a story here in Edmonton months back about how they are short on Postal carriers and were hiring temp workers who didn’t even have uniforms. Then they found a giant stash of undelivered mail in a dumpster, which is a federal crime.

Aren’t they already paid pretty well? Why would they strike? Their rates are already double USPS rates.

 

[Can_supplier]

Incompetency stems from management, not the workers.

If decision making that could create such an incompetent system was in the hands of the worker, that would define incompetency on the part of management.

Its the worker who does their job, who gets the short end of the stick. Made out the be the bad guy responsible for poor service, to bear the wrath of the public, when they are trying to fight to maintain pension benefits promised when hired. While the incompetent management, which created all the problems, hands themselves another pay raise on their already exorbitant salary behind the scenes, without public scrutiny.

I'll support their strike, and work around it.

 

[lelly]

Just curious if it does happen, will suppliers wait it out or resort to UPS/FedEx/Purolator methods until its over?

 

[Kams Cats]

Just curious if it does happen, will suppliers wait it out or resort to UPS/FedEx/Purolator methods until its over?

I would hope that some if not all suppliers would give you the option. The only thing is that you are going to pay more for that shipping.

 

[Can_supplier]

Just curious if it does happen, will suppliers wait it out or resort to UPS/FedEx/Purolator methods until its over?

I don't foresee any problem.

The other couriers will be working, so the shipment will still go out.

I wouldn't expect a strike to last more than a few weeks, so as a customer you could just change your order cycle to miss it all together and not even have to worry about it if you didn't want to pay the higher price of the couriers.

 

[AllYourBase]

If this strike happens and goes on for a while, remember: if you buy from the USA via UPS air, you don't have to pay customs and import duties.

You only have to pay the insane import/customs fees on UPS Surface shipments.

 

[Pipeous]

well ups world saver etc have the brokerage fees included in the price. they rape you on ground shipments....

the only way to beat the ups ground shipment fees is if the shipper puts $1 value and gift. it has to be that value... inside info from my ups buds here

 

[IanK1968]

If there is a strike I will bet my pay cheque they will hire scabs and have pick up zones for you to go pick up your mail like the strike back in the late 1980's I think it was. We picked up all our mail at the peanut plaza. I remember a letter took almost 2 weeks to go from Toronto to Ottawa.

 

[IanK1968]

Latest talks at the Postal Union Urban Postal Unit Negotiations (2011) / Bulletin

 

[AllYourBase]

the only way to beat the ups ground shipment fees is if the shipper puts $1 value and gift. it has to be that value... inside info from my ups buds here

Thanks man, that's one hell of a tip. I've always wondered if there was a way to get around it.

 

[Danesnpits]

I think I am going to watch the postman, with Kevin Costner, then cry my eyes out becuase Canada won't deliver our mail with the attitude they continue to have. Our mail is just not important. They would rather ..... and complain about their working condtions. Why don't they just quit then, save us all the fuss, and hire new people and the workers that quit go on stress leave and employment insurance and call it a day, get sponsored to go back to school so they can have a different career if they don't like it. What ever happened to "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds"

 

[zer0ith]

What ever happened to "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds"

I think they all either died or retired

 

[kingcobra]

Neither snow nor rain nor pretty much anything else will stop them for their appointed rounds save for holidays and union grievances

 

[Can_supplier]

If this strike happens and goes on for a while, remember: if you buy from the USA via UPS air, you don't have to pay customs and import duties.

You only have to pay the insane import/customs fees on UPS Surface shipments.

Problem is you need to twist the arm of whoever you are ordering from to get them to do that.

I was shipping to myself from the US, and of course I didn't want to pay the brokerage charge. So I got the guy at the counter to quote the next service up with brokerage included. Cost darn near 50 bucks more. The package was about 1ft cubed and weight about 5 lbs, so nothing huge.

In the end it was cheaper to ship it to myself paying to brokerage at the other end. I then knew why things were always shipped the method with brokerage.

Best to stay away from UPS all together when shipping into Canada, unless you really need it quick and are willing to pay anything to get it. DHL or FedEx are better choices with reasonable under $10 brokerage.

*Little known fact, you can “broker” stuff yourself. If you choose to do so, the freight company/courier will hold your shipment in a bonded warehouse near its final destination. You go there, get the paper work, then take it to the customs office that is usually near. At the customs office they hand you more paper work. You then lookup the tariff code in this 1 ft thick book with every possible stupid classification of goods in it. Of course it’s such overkill there are about 10 classification that any one product can fit under. Only fun part is that lets you pick the code with the least or nil tariff. Heck they goods aren’t even there for the customs agent to even look at, so whatever you choose really is a go. In the end you save your brokerage charge, but are left with a new found respect and desire to pay $30 or more to avoid the experience LOL

 

[kingcobra]

I guess it pays to stock up, I'm probably good for 6 months without ordering again, although I probably will do another order fairly soon just to try out some new juice. I do have almost 6 full 30 ml bottles though and they seem to be lasting well over a month so no need to panic I don't think We might have a strike but I don't see it lasting all that long as the government will step in one way or the other. If the NDP were in power well maybe it could run a couple years, or they could give them everything they want and a good sized tip to boot