Newspapers on the short end in Canada Post labour dispute

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Ryan Dahlman

Every week the team behind this paper works tirelessly to provide readers the latest about what’s going on in the community they call home. There are late nights and early mornings. There are hours and hours spent writing and rewriting. There are pages to layout and proofread. There are deadlines that need to be hit and then, like magic, words and pictures that once existed only in the journalist’s mind are transformed into something tangible – a printed newspaper, the weekly miracle.

Readers can be forgiven if they assume that once the paper has been sent to press, that the whole process starts over again. However, the greatest newspaper in the world isn’t much good if it doesn’t get into the hands of those who want to read it.

To solve this problem, many newspapers, including this one, use Canada Post. On the surface it seems like an ideal situation – the publisher gives the papers to the post office who then delivers them. Simple, right?

If only.

First of all, that level of service is expensive, with many publishers spending more on mailing their papers than they do in creating them. There are issues with papers not being delivered on time or even at all. Customer service can be poor and investigations into complaints often only consist of asking the postal worker if he or she did their job. Then there’s the fact that newspapers and Canada Post are fighting for the same flyer customers, meaning that the crown corporation can decide on a whim that newspapers with flyers are now classed as junk mail.

With friends like that…

However, for all the headaches, delivering through Canada Post is often the only viable distribution option for local newspapers. Without that service, communities are much less informed than they should be. This is why both Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers need to come to an agreement to avoid any prolonged shutdown.

If there is a lengthy strike or lockout, newspapers will find a way to do their civic duty. They’ll make greater use of their websites. They’ll drop more copies at stores, libraries and community centres. They’ll e-mail replica editions to subscribers and readers who request them. The news will get out. The ads will get out. Newspapers will not let their communities down.

However, both sides would be wise to remember that in an era of sharply declining mail volumes, local newspapers are often the largest and most reliable customer of the local post office. If that business was lost it would mean less revenue for Canada Post and fewer members for the union, which is something that neither side wants.

Whatever happens, newspapers will adapt and survive. Will Canada Post and CUPW?