More than 800 postal workers across Canada are hitting the picket lines today. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) said the strike will last 24 hours. It will continue its rotating strikes to "put pressure on Canada Post's negotiators to settle an acceptable collective agreement."

The CUPW has announced that it is escalating its pressure on Canada Post. It has already enacted one-day rotating strikes in a handful of major cities, but now these will also be hitting smaller Canadian communities.

"We need to maintain and create good jobs, not cut back on jobs in our communities," said CUPW president Denis Lemelin in a statement. "Smaller communities also benefit from having access to increased services at their post offices. We are asking Canada Post to address these demands."

So, to bring attention to needs on a more local scale, the CUPW is holding strikes in smaller regions, such as Labrador City, N.L., Acadie-Bathurst, N.B., Summerside, P.E.I., Ste. Therese, Que., St. Jerome, Que., Thunder Bay, Ont., Hearst, Ont., Brantford, Ont., St. Thomas, Ont., Flin Flon, Man., Yellowknife, Whitehorse and Vernon, B.C.

These local strikes are being enacted in addition to the 24-hour rotating strikes the union will continue to hold in major cities like Winnipeg, Hamilton, Montreal, Victoria, Moncton, Calgary and Edmonton.

Canada Post announced yesterday that these rotating strikes have forced it to cut staff and mail delivery in urban areas to contain costs. Tuesday, the Crown corporation announced that Canadians were mailing as little as half of their average amount since postal workers first went on strike last week.

The National Post spoke with Canada Post spokesman Jon Hamilton, and reported:

Despite the financial damage the stoppages are wreaking, Canada Post spokesman Jon Hamilton remained steadfast in the corporation's position.

"We believe this strike activity is unnecessary and incredibly harmful to our business," he told Postmedia News. "Every day they do this is a day that they're pushing our customers away."

He reiterated that the corporation has put forth a "generous" offer, and that it cannot entertain the union's demands for additional employees because it would mean either a hike in consumer prices or in taxes.

"We're hopeful the union will come to us with realistic proposals that will help us ensure the future of the company," Hamilton said.