Edmonton retailers look for contingency plans ahead of possible Canada Post strike

Edmonton retailers are keeping a close eye on the possible job action looming at Canada Post as they stock their shelves for Black Friday and holiday shopping.

With many business owners staring down their busiest season, Canada Post workers issued a 72-hour strike notice on Tuesday.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) will be in a legal strike position Friday, unless new agreements are reached. No strike date has been set, but both rural and urban mail carriers could be off the job.

"Especially since COVID started, everything around the Christmas season has been a lot harder to get things moving, get things shipping," said Brandon Schatz, owner of Edmonton comic and graphic novel store Variant Edition.

"Generally speaking, getting in product now is key because in December, you can't guarantee anything."

Schatz said many small businesses rely on Canada Post because they don't deal with the product volume that would qualify them for cheaper rates from other couriers and shipping companies.

His store does a lot of mail-order business, and Schatz said many book distributors also rely on Canada Post for invoicing and payment.

He said he understands the reasons behind possible strike action — wage increases, pensions and medical leave are major sticking points, according to CUPW.

Watch | Edmonton businesses prepare for possible strike:

Some small businesses are bracing for a potential Canada Post strike

14 days ago

Duration 1:44

Some Edmonton small business owners expect to be impacted by the looming Canada Post strike. They rely on the service for shipments, and delivery of online orders. As Travis McEwan reports, some are ready to pivot if the strike does happen.

For now, Schatz is trying to prepare for the possible impacts to his bottom line, and how to navigate a situation where other shipping companies have to scramble to absorb spiking demand.

"Just adding another stress to the system might kick things up a notch again," Schatz said.

At independent bookseller Audreys Books, manager Kelly Dyer said the business doesn't rely on Canada Post for the majority of their stock. But it's still the busiest time of year for new book releases, and Dyer said many smaller, independent publishers use Canada Post to get their books to local stores like Audreys.

"We'll have to pivot. We'll find a way, just like we did during COVID," Dyer said.

"In speaking with some of the publishers — even just this morning, placing orders with some of those smaller publishers — they're trying to find ways to pivot too, just in case."

CUPW was in a legal strike position as of Nov. 3, after a legally mandated cooling-off period. More than 95 per cent of both urban and rural workers backed a strike mandate in a vote last month, the union has said.

A spokesperson for Canada Post told CBC News that the company had issued a formal lockout notice to the union and that unless new agreements are reached, the current collective agreements will no longer apply as of Friday.