Fresh Coffee By Mail. Or Bike. Or Courier. Or...
It’s been 6 weeks since our last post about the Canada Post labour negotiations. And 6 weeks since I was interviewed about this issue for Internet Retailer magazine (that’s actually a cool thing for Sparkplug Coffee that has come out of this mess! Read the article here. )
Here at Sparkplug Coffee, we’re still watching the situation closely and making a call each week on whether to ship with Canada Post or a courier company.
Unfortunately, there’s been little progress with the Canada Post negotiations. Both Canada Post and the union, CUPW, are still badmouthing each other and blaming the other side for not getting things settled. Personally, I am a little peeved at them both. Just figure it out, already, and stop threatening us with a strike! (Can you hear me stamping my feet?!)
It seems there is a good chance that there will be a strike or lockout in the next 10 days. The union keeps saying they don’t want to strike but Canada Post appears to be doing its best to provoke one. Or it could lock out the workers.
If this happens, no worries, we’ll be shipping with a courier company and your coffee will get through. If you’re local, keep an eye out for Sparkplug Coffee deliveries by bicycle (ours or BikeShare), foot, vintage Vespa and even by car.
We’re also investigating some new options for local and national deliveries. How about picking up your coffee whenever is convenient from an InPost locker? Or having it brought using public transit by people who identify with disabilities?
Let me know if these options appeal to you - and why you like or dislike them, too!
A vintage Vespa - one of our alternative delivery vehicles.
Work Life: What's At Stake At Canada Post?
If you’re interested in what’s going on at Canada Post, this short article from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is very interesting. Its author sees Canada Post and CUPW having a “clash of visions for the public postal service” with the union trying to change the nature of Canada Post’s work and the management trying to “make work at this federal crown corporation more like work in the private sector -- above all, to make postal workers' jobs less secure”. Which vision will win out? This may depend on the outcome of the labour negotiations.