Mail delivery has come to a standstill on P.E.I. as Canada Post workers on the Island join the picket line in a national strike that began Friday morning. Many workers are picketing outside the main Canada Post processing plant in Charlottetown, and small groups are also picketing outside some post offices.

OTTAWA—Canada’s unionized postal workers walked off the job, halting handling of almost all mail and parcels and threatening lengthy delivery delays heading into the busy holiday season. The strike by tens of thousands of Canadian Union of Postal Workers members began early Friday after a year of contentious bargaining failed to yield a collective contract agreement for mail carriers.

The union walked out after talks with the country’s main mail operator failed. The stoppage could disrupt deliveries before the holidays.

Workers at Canada’s national postal service are on strike after failing to reach a negotiated agreement with Canada Post.

Thousands of postal workers have begun a nationwide strike, the union representing them says, after negotiations with Canada Post failed to produce an agreement.

About 55,000 Canada Post workers went on strike Friday after their union said it had failed to reach a pay deal with the postal operator in the run-up to the holiday season.

Workers at Canada Post went on strike Friday in a move that is expected to create delays and other disruptions to mail and parcel delivery — just as the Crown corporation prepares for what's typically its busiest period.