The head of the union local that represents letter carriers in Windsor-Essex says his members are keeping their fingers crossed a contract agreement is in the offing.
Phil Lyons with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers Local 630 hasn't heard how talks are going between union officials and management at Canada Post but says carriers are just as eager as the public to avoid a work stoppage.
"We certainly don't want it. The public doesn't want it. We're hoping that cooler heads prevail," he says.
Unionized workers at Canada Post are in a legal strike or lockout position on Saturday. Lyons is pretty sure if there is a work stoppage, it'll be a lockout.
The sticking points in this round of talks are similar to challenges in the last round in 2011, which resulted in a strike. Pension benefits for new hires appear to be the biggest point of contention this time too.
The strike didn't last long. Then Labour Minister Lisa Raitt ordered carriers back on the job, but Lyons is confident the Trudeau government will stay out of the dispute and let the two sides reach an agreement on their own.
Asked if he has a message for the public, Lyons says his members have looked out for the public and hope Canadians are patient.
"We've always stood up for Canadians," he says. "I mean this project where they were removing door-to-door [delivery], the postal workers opposed it. We were the ones holding public consultation and town halls."
CUPW represents 50,000 workers across Canada.
