Canada Post workers poised to strike Friday

Canada Post received a strike notice Monday from the union representing more than 55,000 postal workers, with operations poised to shut down by the end of the week for the second time in six months.

The union informed management that employees plan to hit the picket line starting Friday morning at midnight, the Crown corporation said.

A work stoppage would affect millions of residents and businesses who typically receive more than two billion letters and roughly 300 million parcels a year via the service.

No new items would be accepted until the strike ends, while those already in the system would be "secured" but not delivered, Canada Post said.

A 32-day strike during peak shipping season ahead of the winter holidays last November and December left millions of letters and parcels in limbo and a massive backlog to sort through.