As a nationwide postal strike entered it's third week, Aldergrove resident Sherrie Arnott was walking a picket line outside the local post office on 272 St. in her community on Tuesday morning, Dec. 3.

Arnott said she has been through four strikes as a Canada Post employee, including the current dispute, but never one where the employer has cut benefits and laid off striking staff, until now.

"I find the corporation this time is being quite mean," Arnott said.

"They've cut off our medical, they've cut off people who are on long-term disability, so they're struggling."

Post office workers were walking a picket line at the Aldergrove post office Tuesday morning

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Picketer Shannin Pinette, a Brookswood resident who requires expensive medication, is facing a big bill if the dispute isn't settled before her prescription runs out.

"I get treatment for my lungs every three weeks, and it's a couple thousand dollars, and I am not covered for it [now]," Pinette explained as she walked in front of the Aldergrove office.

"I'm actually late taking it, because I don't want to have to pay for it, but I think I'm going to end up having to pay for it and I'm not going to be reimbursed. There's a lot of other people that are getting cancer treatments or on maternity leave and so on, that have had everything cut off."

Pinette, who has 30 years with Canada Post, described the decision to chop benefits to strikers as a first, but added it didn't come as a complete surprise.

"They [the union] said get your prescriptions early if you can, because we might be going on strike," Pinette said.

"We could get some medications earlier but other medications you can't get in advance," she added.

Canada Post maintained cancelling coverage during a walkout was permitted.

"We鈥檝e informed employees that their expired collective agreements are no longer in effect and their terms and conditions of employment have now changed, as allowed under the Canada Labour Code," a statement said.

CUPW has filed an unfair labour practice complaint with the Canada Industrial Relations Board over the layoffs calling them an "intimidation tactic" that violates the Canada Labour Code, a charge Canada Post has denied.

As of Tuesday, talks remained at an impasse, with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers rejecting a Canada Post offer of a new "framework" for negotiations, with CUPW stating the employer hasn鈥檛 compromised on what the union called the employer鈥檚 鈥渕ost severe demands.鈥�

In Aldergrove, Arnott reported most of the people passing by have been supportive.

"Actually, the public has been awesome," Arnott remarked. "They've been bringing us coffee, we've had muffins, we've had cookies. They have been excellent. You know, we always get honks."

"We've had one person yell at us to tell us to get back to work, but you know, we're here doing what's important to us."

She said many have told them how much they miss the mail.

"We would like people to know that we really miss our customers [as well], that we want to get back to them, too," Arnott told the 91原创 Advance Times.