CMBs: Employee FAQs

On February 20, 2014, Canada Post announced the 11 communities across Canada where mail will be delivered to new community mailboxes beginning in the fall of 2014. This is the first stage of a five-year initiative to convert roughly 5 million addresses from delivery to the door, which will help secure the future of the postal service.

Go here to join or follow the conversation Canadians are having about the changes to the postal service, and read Canada Post’s responses to their questions.
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[simnor_toggle accordion=”1″ icon=”” heading=”What’s happening?” onload=”open” text=”Canada Post announced it is converting delivery in 11 communities across Canada from door-to-door to community mailboxes in the fall of 2014. There will be NO change for:
• people in apartment buildings, seniors’ buildings and condominiums who get mail in the lobby.
• businesses on main streets or in “business corridors,” or which receive a large volume of mail or parcels.
• residents with a rural mailbox.

The operational structure needed to deliver to CMBs already exists: most or all of the routes in these communities are already motorized and they are in areas that already have a lot of CMBs nearby.”]
[simnor_toggle accordion=”1″ icon=”” heading=”What changes will delivery employees see when this occurs?” onload=”closed” text=”Converting door-to-door points of call to CMBs will mean carrying less weight, less walking and fewer stairs to climb.

It won’t completely eliminate the need to go to a customer’s door. Canada Post will still attempt delivery at the door of parcels too large to fit in the community mailbox’s parcel compartments and of parcels or registered items that require a signature.”]
[simnor_toggle accordion=”1″ icon=”” heading=”What does this mean for employees with job security?” onload=”closed” text=”No one’s job will be changing today, next week or next month. We have a lot of planning to do and we will be following the normal route restructuring process, including a volume count.

Canada Post will respect the collective agreements. No regular full-time or part-time employees will lose their job because of this change.

Nearly 15,000 employees will retire or leave over the next five years – more than enough to reduce by up to 8,000 positions through attrition.
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[simnor_toggle accordion=”1″ icon=”” heading=”What does this mean for customers?” onload=”closed” text=”We will mail all affected residents an info package with a short survey. They can also join an in-depth conversation online. Both will help us choose locations and the appearance of CMBs.

We understand that some seniors and Canadians with disabilities may not be able to get to their CMB. We’re seeking input about their needs and will offer new solutions.

The easiest and best way for affected customers to get consistently correct answers is through the package being mailed to them or through the website.”]
[simnor_toggle accordion=”1″ icon=”” heading=”How are these changes geared to help Canada Post secure its future?” onload=”closed” text=”In 2013 Canadians mailed more than one billion fewer pieces of mail than they did in 2006. The changes we are making are necessary if we are to secure the future of postal service in Canada. Canadians have told us they don’t want Canada Post to become a burden on taxpayers.”]
[simnor_toggle accordion=”1″ icon=”” heading=”Why are we not considering alternate-day delivery?” onload=”closed” text=”Parcels, advertising mail and high-value mail generate crucial revenue for CPC. In these competitive businesses, mailers and receivers expect daily delivery.”]
[simnor_toggle accordion=”1″ icon=”” heading=”Why are we not considering banking?” onload=”closed” text=”Canada Post has carefully studied banking – but it is a highly competitive and crowded sector and we have little experience in it. Postal banking would be too great a gamble. Our best opportunity for revenue growth builds on what we are already good at: delivering to Canadians. Parcels and Direct Mail are the best options to secure our future.”]
[simnor_toggle accordion=”1″ icon=”” heading=”How will we handle personal contact items (PCIs)?” onload=”closed” text=”Canada Post will still attempt delivery at the door of parcels too large to fit in the community mailbox’s parcel compartments and of parcels or registered items that require a signature.”]
[simnor_toggle accordion=”1″ icon=”” heading=”Are CMBs the answer to the growing parcel business?” onload=”closed” text=”Delivering parcels is Canada Post’s biggest growth opportunity – and by being secure and convenient, CMBs are well-suited for this high-growth part of our business.”]
[simnor_toggle accordion=”1″ icon=”” heading=”Will apartments with a ‘walk through’ / door to door delivery be converted to CMBs or will they be required to set up a mail room in their lobbies?” onload=”closed” text=”‘Walk through’ apartment buildings where we currently delivery door-to-door will be converted to centralized delivery. Each will be managed on a case-by-case basis, and the centralized delivery solution will largely depend on the size of the building and the wishes of the building manager. If it is not possible or preferable to install a lockbox in the building lobby, we will try to set boxes up outside on the building grounds (for larger buildings). Smaller ‘walk through’ apartment buildings will likely be converted to CMBs.”]
[simnor_toggle accordion=”1″ icon=”” heading=”Why do CPC employees have to learn of these changes through the media? Would it not be good customer relations for us to be able to answer questions from the public rather than look surprised?” onload=”closed” text=”Canada Post has employees working 24 hours a day, across 5 time zones. Our goal with this announcement was to make sure that every letter carrier heard the news from their team leader before heading out on their route for the day. To be able to do that for Newfoundland, we scheduled an early announcement. That meant that employees in other time zones may have heard it on the news, but would have been able to speak with their team leader about it once they arrived at work.”]
[simnor_toggle accordion=”1″ icon=”” heading=”Will the transition to cmb’s be made from large urban areas, such as right now, to smaller urban areas? eg. smaller cities – pop. 50 000 to 10 000″ onload=”closed” text=”• The neighbourhoods that have been chosen to be converted in 2014 are close to neighbourhoods that already have mail delivered to community mailboxes.
• The operational structure needed to deliver to community mailboxes already exists in these communities, which makes them most suitable for efficient early conversion.”]
[simnor_toggle accordion=”1″ icon=”” heading=”What will happen with the surplus of letter carriers?” onload=”closed” text=”• Canada Post will require fewer employees to serve the future needs of Canadians.
• Canada Post expects nearly 15,000 employees to retire or otherwise leave the company over the next five years.
• This is more than enough to allow for the reduction of between 6,000 and 8,000 positions, mainly through attrition.
• We will respect our collective agreements and no regular full-time or part-time employees will lose their job as a result of this change.”]
[simnor_toggle accordion=”1″ icon=”” heading=”How will this impact temporary employees? RLCs?” onload=”closed” text=”For CUPW-represented employees, the Employment Security (Article 53) provision of the Collective Agreement does not apply to temporary/casual employees. The process for staffing vacancies is outlined in the Collective Agreement and this is not changing. As for relief letter carriers, it is possible that some employees may be required to move from their current work location based on seniority. The terms of the Collective Agreement will be followed.”]
[simnor_toggle accordion=”1″ icon=”” heading=”CMBs OK! But I have one very important question. What about protection? For the mail and for the employee. With all kinds of weather elements throughout the year we need a clear roof to cover over us!” onload=”closed” text=”Delivery agents are provided with protective gear to shield them from the elements while they’re out on their route. The CMBs — both the new and existing models — are designed to keep contents safe and dry.”]
[simnor_toggle accordion=”1″ icon=”” heading=”Where can I get more information?” onload=”closed” text=”Employees should visit the canadapost.ca website or Intrapost for more information about this conversion. Questions and Answers have already been posted and we will add more information throughout the process.”]
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2014/02/20

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