| Rolling postals strikes have hit the Okanagan, including Summerland, where workers were doing strike duty Thursday. Lucrezia Olivier/Summerland Review |
Workers in six B.C. locals were behind picket lines on Thursday including: Vernon, Penticton, Summerland, Kamloops, Williams Lake, Quesnel and Cranbrook.
There will be no mail or parcel delivery in Vernon, Coldstream, Armstrong, Falkland and Lumby, though residents in the latter three communities can pick up mail at the outlets in their communities.
鈥淭his is our turn at the rotating strike,鈥� said Valeta Heiden, president of Vernon Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) Local 848, which serves about 80 members.
Heiden said citizens can still access Service Canada, which shares the post office facility in Vernon.
鈥淲e鈥檙e definitely not going to interfere with the customers. We won鈥檛 inconvenience them,鈥� she said.
Deb Attrill and Cam Preston, co-vice president鈥檚 of the Penticton CUPW Local, said the workers are fighting for pay equity, better working conditions and for Canada Post to stop over-burdening them. Preston said it is mainly the health and safety issues that they are concerned with.
鈥淔orced overtime is a big issue. Our members can鈥檛 refuse overtime, the expectation is that you will finish your route,鈥� said Attrill. 鈥渋t doesn鈥檛 matter how long that takes, so if you have kids in daycare they can鈥檛 get home to pick up their kids. They are out there until after eight o鈥檆lock at night.鈥�
Workers anticipate being back on the job Friday at 7 a.m.
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Email me john.white@vernonmorningstar.com
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