Canada Post - Huge losses

[Mad Mike]

As for using gig workers and flex. Canada Post delivers government documents, etc. are there any hurdles giving this to fly by night gig-workers? Regular couriers I could see being fine, but wildwest gig-workers???

Maybe a non-issue or at least something that needs to be worked out.

I know a few 'Gig workers. In fact I'm pretty sure there are a few on this forum that do Gig work, some might do it for CPC!.

I don't consider Gig workers to be 'wild'. Gig workers aren't choosing that style of work because it's an employment of last resort, the ones I know choose gig work so they master their own schedules. Need money - pickup a gig. Need a week in Phuket - go travel.

Gig work is great for people who like moto-travel in a country with 5 months of snow.

 

[Evoex]

I would hope that tracking for important documents is in place even for normal posties. Bob signs out 10 passports to be delivered as part of their run today. Two people say they didn't receive them and Bob didn't sign them back in, there needs to be a meeting asap. Same process would work for gig worker. You can steal/lose important things once but it can't be a pattern.

Passports are not treated 'in the system' any differently then other Priority mail. They just always require a signature for release.

That is to say we don't know what's in the envelope, but you eventually get a feel for the dimensions...

 

[FullMotoJacket]

There's nothing wrong with Gig work, or Gig workers.

You don't say.

 

[GreyGhost]

You don't say.

There are jerks everywhere. I'm sure almost all of us have a story of a missed delivery card dropped off by a postie that never attempted delivery as we were home.

 

[FullMotoJacket]

There are jerks everywhere. I'm sure almost all of us have a story of a missed delivery card dropped off by a postie that never attempted delivery as we were home.

That makes it ok?

I’d say the CP equivalent of that video would be a postie blowing his nose with my bank statement, not a missed delivery card, and even that wouldn’t be as bad as spitting in someone’s food. That’s technically assault.

 

[BigEvilDoer]

As for using gig workers and flex. Canada Post delivers government documents, etc. are there any hurdles giving this to fly by night gig-workers? Regular couriers I could see being fine, but wildwest gig-workers???

Maybe a non-issue or at least something that needs to be worked out.

Precisely one of the reasons we don’t want the gig workers.
We deliver passports and registered mail (can be letters, packets or parcels).

We have to get fingerprinted and have a full deep down background check by the RCMP done.

I highly doubt that CPC wouldn’t be thrilled about paying for the background checks for people who are basically your “skip the dishes” crowd.

 

[raginduck]

There's a lot more sketchy people making into the gig positions than Canada Post.. hands down.
Some of the 'gig' carriers are good, above board companies that do background checks that are responsible for their drivers.. but a lot of them are layered in ways that intentionally keep the drivers separate from the company.. and in some cases.. the carrier company may not even know who the actual delivery drivers are.

 

[BigEvilDoer]

I would hope that tracking for important documents is in place even for normal posties. Bob signs out 10 passports to be delivered as part of their run today. Two people say they didn't receive them and Bob didn't sign them back in, there needs to be a meeting asap. Same process would work for gig worker. You can steal/lose important things once but it can't be a pattern.

Absolutely we checked on daily if we missed delivering a scannable item - even more so if it’s a signature required item (i.e. passport, high value item, registered mail).

 

[raginduck]

Precisely one of the reasons we don’t want the gig workers.
We deliver passports and registered mail (can be letters, packets or parcels).

We have to get fingerprinted and have a full deep down background check by the RCMP done.

I highly doubt that CPC wouldn’t be thrilled about paying for the background checks for people who are basically your “skip the dishes” crowd.

A lot of companies do the same.. it's standard practise.

 

[sburns]

 

[Evoex]

A lot of companies do the same.. it's standard practise.

More likely it's more common to do a simple CPIC request to a local police department.

 

[raginduck]

More likely it's more common to do a simple CPIC request to a local police department.

level 1 is more common.. but level 2 and full backgrounds are standard at a lot of companies.

 

[raginduck]

Precisely one of the reasons we don’t want the gig workers.
We deliver passports and registered mail (can be letters, packets or parcels).

We have to get fingerprinted and have a full deep down background check by the RCMP done.

I highly doubt that CPC wouldn’t be thrilled about paying for the background checks for people who are basically your “skip the dishes” crowd.

Does CP actually want to use gig workers/contractors.. or does it want to use PT and temps?

 

[FullMotoJacket]

level 1 is more common.. but level 2 and full backgrounds are standard at a lot of companies.

A lot of it depends on the sensitivity of the job. Had to do a level 2 for a job at a place that made handgun parts.

 

[BigEvilDoer]

Does CP actually want to use gig workers/contractors.. or does it want to use PT and temps?

From what I understand, they want to contract gig type workers (not sure of level of background check) with no guaranteed hours, zero benefits, zero pension, zero everything except barely over minimum wage.

I proposed they use the massive number of “casuals” who have been schooled by CPC, had background checks etc and generally are hurting for extra money. It costs about $10k to train/pay a new employee. 80% don’t make it to the end of year 1 due to no work.

The culture that CPC has created to get even a part time job is incredibly difficult for someone without a financial support network (side hustles, partners, parents). After your training is done, they basically want you to sit at home until about 1pm waiting for a call to find out if you’re needed to work or not. Let’s say you get a part time job, or are doing a hustle and they call you in to work. They expect you to drop everything and come in. If you don’t come in, you get a flag. Three flags and you get interviewed and possibly terminated.

I don’t know about you guys, but the only reason I managed it is through pure luck and the fact my mortgage was paid off. Didn’t get called for 2 months after my training. Without my side hustles I would have been in serious trouble.

 

[raginduck]

Purolator and Fedex are overwhelmed.. significant backlogs.. limiting what some customers can ship thru them... and turning away others.
Same thing with some of the gig carriers.

 

[GreyGhost]

Purolator and Fedex are overwhelmed.. significant backlogs.. limiting what some customers can ship thru them... and turning away others.
Same thing with some of the gig carriers.

I've got something hung up with purolator. Ordered Nov 25, shipper says purolator logistics are the holdup. Who knows if that's the whole truth though. If I get it next week I'm good. After that I'm going to start getting grumpy (at the shipper not purolator as there is no tracking number yet). Either the shipper is straight-up lying or purolator may be metering packages into the system to avoid a trainwreck. I am going with even odds for each path.

EDIT:
Purolator and UPS have put some shippers on ice while they try to clear what they have.

Purolator, UPS pause shipments from couriers amid backlog

Purolator and UPS have paused shipments from some courier companies as they try to work through a deluge of deliveries brought on by the Canada Post strike. Purolator said in an email that severe weather and a surge in package volumes prompted it to freeze service for some partners, citing the...

toronto.citynews.ca

"Purolator said in an email that severe weather and a surge in package volumes prompted it to freeze service for some partners, citing the need to “prioritize critical shipments.”

Couriers such as eShipper, which act as middlemen between smaller e-commerce businesses and large carriers, are among the companies temporarily barred from shipping with Purolator and UPS.

A notice sent from eShipper to clients and obtained by The Canadian Press says “no shipments will be processed or moved by these carriers” for 48 hours, starting Wednesday."

 

[sburns]

From what I understand, they want to contract gig type workers (not sure of level of background check) with no guaranteed hours, zero benefits, zero pension, zero everything except barely over minimum wage.

I proposed they use the massive number of “casuals” who have been schooled by CPC, had background checks etc and generally are hurting for extra money. It costs about $10k to train/pay a new employee. 80% don’t make it to the end of year 1 due to no work.

The culture that CPC has created to get even a part time job is incredibly difficult for someone without a financial support network (side hustles, partners, parents). After your training is done, they basically want you to sit at home until about 1pm waiting for a call to find out if you’re needed to work or not. Let’s say you get a part time job, or are doing a hustle and they call you in to work. They expect you to drop everything and come in. If you don’t come in, you get a flag. Three flags and you get interviewed and possibly terminated.

I don’t know about you guys, but the only reason I managed it is through pure luck and the fact my mortgage was paid off. Didn’t get called for 2 months after my training. Without my side hustles I would have been in serious trouble.

On top of that, CPC can hire as many bodies as they want, and keep hiring. You've probably seen the new trainee's walk through the depot, wonder how these people are going to get shifts.

The union should be glad to have 7 day package delivery, but yes convert those temps to part timers or decent non gig, non temp positions. It's jobs, the full timers shouldn't have anything to worry about, they still have other work to do.

 

[Mad Mike]

From what I understand, they want to contract gig type workers (not sure of level of background check) with no guaranteed hours, zero benefits, zero pension, zero everything except barely over minimum wage.

Those those contracts are piecework at prevailing rates which at CPC hustle rates might equate to minimum wage. For the small contractor, delivering 300 packages

I proposed they use the massive number of “casuals” who have been schooled by CPC, had background checks etc and generally are hurting for extra money. It costs about $10k to train/pay a new employee. 80% don’t make it to the end of year 1 due to no work.

The culture that CPC has created to get even a part time job is incredibly difficult for someone without a financial support network (side hustles, partners, parents). After your training is done, they basically want you to sit at home until about 1pm waiting for a call to find out if you’re needed to work or not. Let’s say you get a part time job, or are doing a hustle and they call you in to work. They expect you to drop everything and come in. If you don’t come in, you get a flag. Three flags and you get interviewed and possibly terminated.

I don’t know about you guys, but the only reason I managed it is through pure luck and the fact my mortgage was paid off. Didn’t get called for 2 months after my training. Without my side hustles I would have been in serious trouble.

I ordered goods from Vancouver, Montreal and China on Nov 28.

The shipment from Vancouver left on the 28th with UPS - originally to be here by the 2nd. It's not here, and their latest update says they don't have a delivery date yet.

The one from Montreal is coming by Purolator, shipped on the 28th , originally to be here by the 2nd. not here yet.

The one cominng from China, delivered by ???, shipped on the 28th , originally to be here by the 11th. arived this morning. Likely a gig worker (young fellow in a white Cayenne).

 

[raginduck]

People are putting ads up on Marketplace... and making deliveries.

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/costofliving/mail-strike-hustle-1.7403379