Canada Post employees could be headed to the picket line in just over two weeks, with existing deals between the Crown corporation and the union expiring on May 22.
A strike or lockout would mark the second time in under six months that the postal service ground to a halt, after 55,000 employees walked off the job for 32 days in November and December.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University business instructor Ulrich Paschen says the union has lost some leverage now that the peak holiday season has passed.
Experts also note that Canada Post’s dire financial situation means it may struggle to meet workers halfway on their contract demands.
The two sides agreed to resume negotiations last week, supported by a mediator, after bargaining broke off in March.
Last year’s strike left millions of parcels and letters in limbo ahead of the winter holidays, leaving businesses and consumers scrambling to ship products until a ministerial directive prompted employees to go back on the job in mid-December.
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