Sudbury

No mail in Sudbury today as postal workers hit picketline

The rotating strikes at Canada Post have come to northern Ontario, with mail delivery grinding to a halt in the Sudbury area on Friday.

Rotating strikes began on Monday in response to stalled contract talks

Striking Canada Post workers wave signs at passing cars on Lasalle Boulevard in Sudbury. (Erik White/CBC )

The rotating strikes by postal workers, that has been slowing down mail delivery across the country all week, has come to northern Ontario.

The 220 members of Canadian Postal Workers Local 612 in Sudbury are on the picketline, which means no mail delivery or collection in the city today.

The strike also affects mail service in areas surrounding Greater Sudbury, including Manitoulin Island and French River.

The union is hoping the job action will pressure Canada Post and the special mediator appointed by the federal government this week to resolve the contract dispute, which largely centres around wages.

Sudbury union vice-president Dave Merrick says while many of the rotating strikes have lasted for only one day in each city, they don't know for sure if they'll be back to work Monday.

"We're not doing this against the public or the business, we're doing this to try to get the corporation to come back and negotiate and get us a fair collective agreement for both sides," he says.

220 members of the Canadian Postal Workers Union in Sudbury were on a rotating strike Friday, but aren't sure if they'll be back to work on Monday. (Erik White/CBC )