Canada's Lowkey Got Beef With Everyone Over Bread 🍞🔥

The Deets

Yo, fam, the vibes in Canada are off. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers and Canada Post are back at the table tryna hash things out, but postal workers are over it, so they've put a national overtime ban in place. Deliveries are still happening, but they're moving slower than dial-up. Parcel delivery is down 50% from last year, so yeah, it's a whole sitch. They're fighting over wages, staffing, and weekend deliveries. Canada Post is dragging their feet.

But wait, there's more. The Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) voted 99% to authorize a strike. Like, teachers are straight-up ready to walk. Their beef? "Crowded and increasingly complex classrooms" and, surprise, wages. The province is throwing out a 12% increase over four years, a new pay grid, and $405 million for classroom improvements. Will it be enough? Sus.

And the Alberta Union of Public Employees (AUPE)? They're about to enter negotiations with a mediator. They rep about 23,000 government workers, and 90% of them voted to strike. The government's last offer was roughly a 12% increase over four years, plus some market-adjustment salary bumps for those facing recruitment and retention problems. The government is lowkey planning for a strike, so buckle up.

International Tea

Meanwhile, across the globe, in Iran, things are even more wild. A Kurdish transit truck driver from Sanandaj, Sedigh Mohammadi, got yoinked on May 27, 2025, by Iran's Intelligence Department. Why? Because he was showing love for the nationwide truck drivers' strike. He was all about supporting the movement and got a call from the department before they snatched him. As of now, no one knows where he is or how he's doing. His family is stressed trying to find him, but it's all looking grim.

The truck drivers' strike kicked off on May 18, 2025, after the Union of Truck Drivers and Transport Workers across Iran put out the call. It's spread to a bunch of provinces. Another truck driver, Shahab Darabi, also got snatched on May 26, 2025, for supporting the strike. So, yeah, Iran's not playing around.

China's Economy Going Through It

China's economy is straight-up collapsing. Workers ain't getting paid, and companies are dipping. There have been widespread protests and strikes across 21 provinces and municipalities. Like, tens of thousands of workers are out here wildin'. The protests hit manufacturing, construction, and electronics. Peeps been reporting they haven't seen a paycheck in months or are only getting partial payments. That's rough, buddy.

Neta Auto cut workers' wages, and the CEO reportedly bounced to the UK. Weilixing Toys is facing protests over unpaid wages and announced they're shutting down because they're in debt. Yuangao (electronic appliance maker) is dealing with worker protests, leading to production shifts. And Sengled Optoelectronics Co., Ltd. is also seeing protests because of unpaid wages. The whole thing is sketch.

The U.S.-China trade war isn't helping either. Tariffs have led to a decline in Chinese exports. Manufacturers are moving factories to cheaper places like Vietnam and Indonesia. China's economic growth is falling, fixed asset investment has slowed, and local government debt is contributing to the problems. Reduced export growth is hitting the economy hard.

Chinese construction projects in Indonesia are facing strikes over unpaid wages. The Belt and Road Initiative projects are getting delayed, and costs are going up. Foreign investors are side-eyeing the Chinese market, worried about labor unrest, local government debt, and reduced export growth. Companies are rethinking their investments in China.

This whole situation could mess up supply chains, shift manufacturing and investment patterns, and make countries compete to snatch up businesses leaving China. It's a whole domino effect, and not in a good way.