PO’d

I sent my Dad a Father’s Day gift last week. The 8 1/2 x 11 envelope contained a paperback, a deck of cards, and a card. I had folded the unpadded envelope in half; it was a small package. The post office agent weighed it (.381 kg), then checked the corresponding rate on the computer. He then measured it. I expected to pay around $6 to $8, it was $12, that included GST (.57) and a fuel surcharge (.77). “Are you sure that’s surface mail?” I asked, incredulous. He checked again, “Yup.” It was only going to the Okanagan. It would cost me more than the contents of the package. That’s postal piracy. So on the one hand the unions have secured “fair” wages and rich benefit packages for postal employees, while at the same time making it unaffordable for many people to even mail a parcel home to their Dad on Father’s Day. I support unions, but can someone explain to me how this is a good thing?