There's a real risk associated with a Canada Post strike, especially just before the holidays.
And it's not that Canadians don't get their holiday mail.
It's that Canadians collectively realize how much "mail" is becoming increasingly irrelevant.
I understand this isn't the case for everyone; younger folks may prefer electronic communications, but older Canadians may find paper mail easier.
But I have to wonder how many people are just like me when it comes to their reliance (or lack thereof) on Canada Post.
Most of my important notices are delivered electronically.
I say "most" only because a few companies still can't figure out how to email me a PDF of my bill instead of an email instructing me to log into the website and download my bill myself. (Shoutout to Enbridge who has this figured out!) That extra step of having to go get the bill I need to pay (and incurring a late charge if I forget) keeps me demanding paper bills sent to my mailbox... for now.
Most of the deliveries I need aren't impacted by the strike.
When I order from Amazon (which I do a LOT), my deliveries arrive on my doorstep because Amazon uses independent shipping services. In fact, most of what I order online isn't impacted by the Canada Post strike.
The Mailbox is (mostly) filled with junk.
When I check my mailbox about twice a week, it's mostly filled with "direct mail" which I can most certainly do without. I know this definitively because 90% of it goes straight into my recycling bin.
(For some reason I keep the weekly Canadian Tire Corporation flyer to browse through, despite rarely shopping there, and any QSR discount coupons I'm sent... but that's it. Sorry, real estate agents, but I'll never choose someone to sell my home based on a smiling face on a postcard.)
Canada Post's unionized workers may believe that striking near the holidays will pressure management to settle.
And perhaps it might.
But it might also make Canadians realize that packages sent via Canada Post won't arrive in time for the holidays... and get them to select other shipping options, just to be safe.
That would mean further decreasing volume for Canada Post, and given the crown corporation lost $490 million from operations during the first six months of 2024, I'd argue it can't afford any additional volume loss.
And if people think negotiations are difficult this time around, what will the situation look like four years from now when Canada Post is more financially unstable and less essential to a growing number of Canadians?
I'm not saying Canada Post workers don't deserve a better deal; perhaps they do.
(I don't know enough to have an informed opinion there.)
But I am saying the risk of a Canada Post strike goes far beyond delayed deliveries.
Canada Post's workers are almost certainly overestimating how much Canadians rely on their mail service today and underestimating how open they would be to finding alternative options tomorrow...
... especially if those alternatives can guarantee that holiday mail will be delivered on time.
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