OTTAWA, May 30 (UPI) -- Canadian postal workers gave notice Monday they may strike in three days, saying they had made their final contract offer.
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers gave the government the required 72 hours' notice, meaning services can stop at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
"We're still pushing for a collective agreement, but at the same time Canada Post has to recognize they have to let go of their demands and rollbacks," CUPW President Denis Lemilin said in Ottawa.
He opposed management's proposals for lower wages and vacation benefits for new employees but said the union is willing to keep talking until the deadline.
The union wants a four-year contract with wage increases of 3.3 percent in the first year and 2.75 in the second and third. The average starting wage is $23 ($23.58 U.S.) an hour.
Canada Post has offered a top rate of $28 ($28.71 U.S.) an hour but says the union is "out of touch" with technological changes that have cut mail volume by 17 percent since 2006.
Lemilin said while the volume may be declining, the number of homes and businesses that get mail delivery keeps growing.
The union has nearly 50,000 members.
