Published by MakeWay’s Research and Policy Department
Postal workers play a vital role in our communities and the charitable sector. They help keep people connected and make sure we all have access to essential information and services. As postal workers prepare for a possible strike, those of us in the charitable sector have an opportunity to stand in solidarity. Their calls for fair compensation and benefits, job security, safe working conditions, and strong labour rights are rooted in equity and economic justice—the same values many of us work for every day.
This isn’t just a matter of shared principles. The outcomes of public sector labour negotiations often set benchmarks that ripple across other sectors, including our own. Postal workers have a strong history of advocating for labour rights that have improved conditions for workers nationwide. In 1981, for example, their successful fight for paid maternity leave helped lay the foundation for similar benefits across Canada.
These hard-won gains have helped lift standards for workers across the country. Continued progress is especially important for the charitable sector, where wages—especially for entry and mid-level positions—fall below the national average. When public sector unions push back against wage stagnation, contract precarity, and the “gigification” of their industry (the shift from stable, secure jobs to short-term, contract-based work with fewer protections and benefits), they’re also fighting against the broader decline of good, stable jobs across the economy.
When wages don’t keep up with the cost of living, many people are also forced to turn to charities to meet their basic needs, increasing the pressure on a sector already stretched thin. Today, 18% of food bank users are employed full-time—the highest rate on record. This means that even people working full-time jobs aren’t earning enough to afford necessities. Charities are doing their best to fill the gap, but we need systemic solutions that address the root causes of economic insecurity. Postal workers, in their fight for fair labour conditions and protections, are pushing for exactly that.
A public postal service is essential social infrastructure, especially for rural, remote, and northern communities, where it often serves as a lifeline. Many residents of these areas depend on Canada Post for prescriptions, government documents, and other essentials. Private courier services often won’t deliver to these regions unless it’s profitable. We’ve seen the consequences of this before: when Greyhound Canada stopped offering rural and remote bus routes due to low profitability, entire communities were left stranded without an affordable transportation option.
As a Crown corporation, Canada Post is publicly owned and mandated to serve the public good—not maximize profit. Like hospitals, schools, or public transit systems, Canada Post provides an essential service that keeps communities supported and functioning. Its value lies not in its bottom line, but in the social and economic benefits it delivers to people across the country.
During the last postal strike, charities were understandably anxious about how a service disruption would affect their ability to reach people and receive donations. Those concerns are real, especially for organizations already under strain. And it’s important to remember that postal workers aren’t the cause of these challenges, and their demands are closely tied to the long-term stability and resilience of our sector and the communities we serve. This is a moment for those of us in the charitable sector to reflect on how our work connects to the struggles of workers like those at Canada Post, who are fighting for strong public services and safe, secure, and dignified work, and to stand with them.
