Rural Suburban Mail Carriers from across Canada embarked on a National Day of Action June 10.

Locally, carriers who cover routes from Waubaushene to Lafontaine converged for a peaceful protest outside MP Simcoe North Bruce Stanton’s to try to bring awareness to what they feel is an inequality between the 6,400 RSMC workers and regular Canada Post workers.

“We’ve been in negotiations with Canada Post for wage parity,” says Bill West, who has worked his route for close to 17 years. “We do the same job (as inside workers) but for less.”

Dawn Hayward agrees.

She says the purpose of the protest was to gain the attention of Canada Post and the government, and to gain more respect for what RSMC do.

Carriers use their own vehicles, which means they are responsible for any maintenance required, and while they are given 50 cents per kilometre, Hayward says with some carriers driving upwards of 90 kilometres a day to complete their routes, and the rapidly increasing price of gas, life is becoming difficult.

For many, says Germaine Bauze, they are simply not breaking even.

“With the cost of gas and repairs getting up there, we’re paying to work, and we just can’t keep doing that,” she says. “It’s getting ridiculous. We’re drowning and I don’t know how we can keep up.”

Marie Ladouceur says Canada Post has to open its wallet and pay carriers fairly for the work they are doing.

“I love the job, I just don’t like being treated like a second-class citizen.”