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Canada Post workers have voted in favor of a new contract, ending years of tension and back-and-forth negotiations between the union and Crown corporation, including nationwide strikes.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), which represents 55,000 postal workers, said its members voted overwhelmingly to ratify the interim agreement reached in December 2025, with 85.9 per cent voting in favour.
According to the union, about 86 percent of rural and suburban mail carriers voted to accept the contract, and 89 percent of urban workers gave it the green light.
“Over the course of this round of negotiations, postal workers have faced enormous challenges,” CUPW national president Jan Simpson said in a statement announcing the results.
“It wasn’t easy, but the members held strong.”
Workers went to the picket line several times
The yes vote ended years of disputes between Canada Post and the union over wages and structural changes in the postal service, with workers taking to the picket line several times during the bargaining process.
In a statement from Canada Post, Crown corporation President and CEO Doug Ettinger welcomed the yes vote.
“Given the stability of the new arrangements, we look forward to working with our employees and negotiating partners to rebuild business, restore confidence in the postal system and provide better service to the country,” he said in a statement.
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Canada Post initiates first wave of ending door-to-door delivery and shifting its delivery to community mailboxes. The move is intended to save money and reduce the Crown corporation’s debt.
The deal calls for wage increases of 6.5 percent in the first year, 3 percent in the second year and increases in line with the annual inflation rate in years three to five.
A weekend parcel delivery model and better benefits were also part of the deal.
Canada Post lost $205 million in Q1
Canada Post employees cast their votes between April 20 and May 30. Both sides agreed not to conduct strikes or lockouts during the ratification vote.
In a March newsletter, 60 percent of the national board recommended workers vote to ratify the tentative agreement. But Simpson, the national chairman and four other union leaders released a minority report saying the agreement failed to make progress on a number of issues related to compensation and workers’ rights and encouraged workers to vote against the tentative agreement.
The ratification vote follows Canada Post’s first-quarter results on Friday, which showed the Crown corporation lost $205 million in the first three months of the year. The Postal Service has been saddled with debt in recent years as it struggles to compete with private couriers.