Most Canadians Impacted by Postal Strike, Divided on Sympathy for Workers: Poll

Results also indicate that 34 percent of those surveyed side with Canada Post, while 29 percent support the unionized workers. Respondents who said they supported neither side polled at 23 percent, while 14 percent said they weren’t sure.
The poll was drawn from a randomized sample of 3,003 Canadian adults who are members of the Angus Reid Forum.
Canadians shared mixed opinions when posed the question: “Even if you don’t agree with either side entirely, whose argument do agree with more?”
While sympathies for both parties were spread fairly evenly, several correlations related to demographics emerged. Canadians under age 45 were more likely to support the workers’ call for higher wages amid inflation and greater job security. Those 45 and older agreed more with Canada Post’s position as it navigates a new business model in a changing world.
Older Canadians, who tend to rely more on traditional paper mail, are often hit hard by postal strikes, the Angus Reid report noted. Yet, Canadians aged 35 to 44 professed the highest level of disruption from the postal strike.
Along political lines, Canadians who said they would vote Conservative in the next election favoured Canada Post more (45 percent) than would-be Liberal voters (34 percent) or NDP voters (18 percent). Only the NDP supporters polled a majority (53 percent) in support of the  Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW).
CUPW has demanded a 24 percent wage increase spread over four years, while Canada Post has offered 11 percent.
The crown corporation lost close to half a billion dollars in the first half of this year and has been looking at expanding parcel delivery to boost revenue. Its plan was to hire contract workers, though CUPW has pushed for its members to do the work with overtime pay.
“The parties are still very far apart,“ he said. ”And that is, in my view … highly disrespectful of Canadians who are suffering through this work stoppage; small businesses, people in rural and remote communities who rely on Canada Post’s services, and these parties have to knuckle down and get the work done,” MacKinnon said.