Canada postal strike ended

 
   

Maria Asselin-Roy
Reporter

fter a long and tedious postal
As letters, bills and cheques

are now entering the mailbox.
On June 26 the Senate passed legislation
which officially sent Canada Post
employees back to work. The Governor
General of the House of Commons made
the legislation a billed law. What the law
entailed is that nearly 50,000 locked out
Canada Post workers had to return to their
jobs within 24 hours. The law stated that
the workers must go back under a contract
legislated by the government, rather
than one achieved through collective
bargaining. After more than 48 hours of
intense debate, the bill had taken legal

action and was passed last week.

After the newly passed law settled,
the president of the postal union told the
Senate that all postal workers would be
back to work on Tuesday, June 28. The
president, Denis Lemelin, said that “The
priority of postal workers has always
been to provide and maintain reliable
mail service to Canadians” and due to this
statement, he claims it is clear that the
protests have gone on long enough. The
Canadian Union of Postal Workers had
performed 12 days of rotating strikes after
Canada Post had locked out employees on
June 14. The legislation was introduced
only one week after the lockout started,
however Senate opposition leader James
Cowan had opposed the bill.

After one week it was obvious that
the postal service was not going to stop
what they were doing. Although the strike
was a major inconvenience to many

Canadians, the union of postal workers
and their supporters claim that they “went
out of their ways to ensure the least
disruption to the Canadian public.” One
of the main issues that the union of postal
workers had was that the wage settlements

_ that the federal government had agreed

to were lower than the previous offer that
the Canada Post had proposed earlier in
the month. The union of postal workers
were opposed to the bill, as many claim
that it undermines the worker’s rights to
collective bargaining. Once the back-to-
work bill was introduced in the House
of Commons, the NDP had promised
to put the debate at ease for as long as
possible, which would give Canada Post’s
managers and workers the opportunity to
discuss their own rights. Many hours into
the debate however, union members said
that no agreement would be reached.
With the disappointment of no

 

agreement, the union asked the NDP to
propose an increase in pay that is higher
than the outlined bill. Nonetheless, the
Conservative majority of the House of
Commons defeated the bill along with
the other changes that the union of postal
workers hoped for.

 

 

Vancouver’s Underwear Affair: Uncovering
the cure for below the waist cancers

By Jenn Markham

nyone visiting Vancouver
who doesn’t know about the
event will be surprised to see

thousands of people running and walking
in their underwear this Saturday, July
9. Participants will hit the streets in
sometimes elaborate costumes to bring
awareness to
down thereness.

“The
Underwear Affair
begins with race
registration at
the expo where
participants will
pick up their
registration
packet. The check-
in process will set the mood for the
event with great music, crazy games and
delectable food booths; it’s also a great
time to get a first glimpse at everyone’s
wild getup. The race will be painted
with the same high energy, with lots of
music and cheers to keep the participants
adrenaline pumping along the route.
Once they have reached the finish line,
participants will be invited to celebrate
at the racy EXPOsed Afterparty with
fellow teammates and friends for a night
of indulgence and fun. The Underwear
Affair is a chance for people to take
charge and get active in the fight against
cancers below the waist!”

Participants raise at least $300 each
as individuals or on a team through pub
nights, bbq’s and sponsored events at

 

_ about running and partying because it

clubs downtown such as The Cellar and
The Roxy.

President & CEO at the BC
Cancer Foundation, Douglas Nelson,
commented about last year’s event,
saying a “big thank-you to the more than
925 participants. Everyone has done
a fantastic job raising funds that are
crucial for improving cancer research

: * and treatment for

these cancers in
the future. We
are extremely
grateful to the
community as
a whole for the
= overwhelming
support we’ve
received in our
fifth year of this

event.”

Douglas College graduate Ally
Sheane said “In the past this run has been

was fun to get involved.” But this year
she said, “I’m running for someone who
inspires me.”

Although it’s too late to register
for this year’s event, it is worth coming
down and checking it out. If you’re
interested, you can register on site for
next year’s event. :

Saturday July 9th

Where: Seaforth Armoury, Burrard
Street at West Ist Ave.

Race Starts: 6:00pm with the walk
starting immediately after
www.uncoverthecure.org

 

 

 

BROOKLYN PUB

WATERFRONT LOUNGE

604.517.2966

250 Columbia St.

THURSDAYS

STUDENT
NIGHT!

a ww.brooklyn.ca