At least one Kelowna courier company is benefitting fro the Canada Post strike.
Ace Courier says business and requests for quotes have jumped since Canada Post unionized workers went on strike Nov. 15.
Contracts between the workers and Canada Post expired in January 2024 and union members walked off the job after failing to reach a negotiated agreement with its employers.
Jamie Schmidt with Ace Courier Services says they’ve had a lot of people coming in for envelope services.
Schmidt says their services may cost more than Canada Post, but people who need assurances that their letters, parcels and other goods will arrive aren’t taking any chances.
“Obviously, we’re a bit more pricey that way, but it’s more of a service to get things out the door and to where they have to go.”
Schmidt says they also saw an uptick in business ahead of last Christmas, but it wasn’t this early.
“It really sucks that people are out of work at this time right now, but from a business standpoint, it brings in a lot more business and it is keeping us on our toes for sure,” he said.
So far, Ace has been able to keep up with increased demand without having to hire more staff, but that may change if the strike drags on.
Schmidt says they can’t compete with Canada Post on letters and smaller items but when it comes to reliability and service, he says they are competitive.
“The people that are using Ace know that it’s more of a service, so we can be beat on pricing, for sure but it’s just a matter of when you want to get it there,” says Schmidt.
Approximately 55,000 employees represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers are on the picket lines.
The union is calling for a wage hike of 24 per cent over four years, while Canada Post has offered an 11.5 per cent increase.
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