A strike deadline for Canada Post employees is looming, and the President of Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) Windsor Local 630 says her members have mixed emotions.
Tish Glenn says they want fair bargaining to take place for a collective agreement as workers could potentially walk off the job for the second time since November.
The union issued a 72-hour strike deadline of 12:01 a.m. Friday, May 23.
Canada Post filed a new set of proposals, including a 13.59 per cent wage increase over four years, six additional personal days, better income replacement for short-term disability leave, and adding a corps of part-time workers for seven-day-a-week delivery. However, the company says it's not longer proposing new health benefit plans, or change to employees' post-retirement benefits.
Canada Post says it has rejected the union's request for two weeks to consider the new proposals.
Glenn says the workers had the right to continue to strike.
"Back in November when we went out, and it led into December, we should've been able to continue to bargain in good faith, and that was taken away from us."
She says looking ahead to Friday there is mixed emotions.
"People do not want this, they just want a fair collective agreement. They go to work every day, they just want to be able to continue to do that, the public wants that for us, and we thank the public for their continued support as well as we go through these trying, difficult times."
Glenn says they want to move forward.
"Depending on what happens with this global offer, and if we have to go back to the table, that's what should happen. And we should be able to get a collective agreement that is for the parties, for the workers, so that we can move forward and move past this not only as postal workers, but our communities that we serve in as well."
CUPW Local 630 represents 520 members who include clerks, letter carriers, transportation, maintenance workers, and mechanics.
Canada Post has warned of delays in mail deliveries if the union resumes its strike.