As flight attendants from across Canada represented by CUPE descend on Parliament Hill on Tuesday (Sept. 16), to call on Ottawa to act to end unpaid work in Canada’s airline industry, a number of other aviation workers – including Transat pilots and airport screeners in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces – are similarly airing, and taking action, to resolve long-standing circumstances they deem unfair.
Flight attendants
The recent labour dispute at Air Canada centred around the airline’s abuse of unpaid work and put the issue into the spotlight. Industry-wide in Canada, flight attendants work on average 35 hours every month for free, performing safety-related duties including pre-flight safety checks, attending to onboard emergencies, assisting passengers with additional needs, boarding, deplaning, and delays, says the union.
“Unpaid work is a systemic issue requiring a systemic solution,” said Wesley Lesosky, President of CUPE’s Airline Division representing 20,000 flight attendants at 11 airlines in Canada. “Flight attendants should not have to negotiate – or go on strike – for a right that every other Canadian already enjoys: to be paid for their time at work. The federal government must act without delay to end this abusive practice in our industry.”
Transat pilots
Meanwhile, the union representing pilots at Air Transat has filed a notice of dispute with the federal labour minister, seeking the appointment of a conciliator in their contract talks with the company.
The Air Transat Master Executive Council, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, says it has been in talks with the company since January, but negotiations have stalled.
The union says the notice of dispute means Ottawa has up to 15 days to appoint a federal conciliator after which the two sides will be obligated to meet for a minimum of 60 days while the conciliator attempts to help both sides reach a deal.
Bradley Small, chair of the Air Transat MEC, says the union’s goal is a contract that reflects the realities of the industry today, ensures fair compensation, enshrines job protections and improves the quality of life for its pilots.
Airport screeners
And, after more than a year of bargaining, airport security screeners in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces, represented by the United Steelworkers union (USW), say they are standing firm in demands for a fair contract that protects benefits and improves wages and working conditions.
The union is accusing the airport screeners’ employer, GardaWorld, of dragging out negotiations for over a year, stating, “Rather than respecting the critical work of airport security screeners who keep travellers safe, the company has tried to cut benefits and suppress wages – all while pocketing big profits.”
“Security screeners at airports in Ottawa, Northern and Southwestern Ontario, and the Atlantic provinces are showing incredible solidarity as they fight for respect,” said Kevon Stewart, USW District 6 Director. “These workers are the first line of defence for the travelling public and they deserve better from an employer that can well afford to compensate them according to their worth…”
The USW represents over 1,600 security screeners at eight airports in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces
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