In today’s news and commentary, Canadian postal workers go on strike, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons cancels a collective bargaining agreement covering over 30,000 workers.

Canadian postal workers declared a national strike on Thursday, with roughly 55,000 workers represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) walking off the job. The workers are striking in protest of the Liberal government’s reform proposals to Canada Post, a publicly-owned corporation and the primary postal operator in the country. Earlier on Thursday, Minister of Public Services and Procurement Joël Lightbound announced a sweeping series of reforms to the operator, including the closure of rural post offices and reductions in delivery services. Lightbound also called for an increase of “community mailboxes”– large, centralized mailboxes for an entire residential area or community. While the government argues that additional “community mailboxes” could generate $400 million per year in savings, CUPW responded that the change would affect mail delivery services for 4 million households. The proposals would effectively end door-to-door mail delivery service for most Canadians over the next decade.

The Liberal government’s efforts to reform Canada Post take place amidst stalled bargaining negotiations and financial struggles. Despite a year and a half of negotiations, CUPW and the government have failed to reach a collective bargaining agreement for postal workers. CUPW argues that uncertainty regarding the contract is impacting Canada Post’s financial stability; the corporation lost $841 million CAD in 2024. The government argues that declining demand for mail services and competition from private postal operators necessitate major reforms. Canada has experienced several major labor actions in the past year, including a month-long strike by Canada Postal workers in late 2024 and a strike by Air Canada flight attendants in August. In both cases, the Liberal government forced workers back onto the job by appealing to the Canadian Industrial Labor Board (CIRB). CIRB has the authority to order striking workers in federally-regulated industries back to work under Section 107 of the Canadian Labor Code; the Section was rarely invoked until last year.

Earlier this week, Federal Bureau of Prisons Director William K. Marshall III announced that the Bureau would terminate its collective bargaining contract with the Council of Prison Locals-33. Marshall’s action against a union that represents more than 30,000 workers at federal prisons marks the latest escalation in President Trump’s attack on federal workers’ unions. In March, the President issued an executive order excluding a wide range of federal agencies from the federal labor relations statute on “national security” grounds. The Bureau cites the same executive order as justification for terminating the agreement. Council of Prison Locals President Brandy Moore-White responded that Marshall and Trump’s actions were “not about efficiency or accountability — this is about silencing our voice. We will not stand by while the rights of our members are stripped away.”