Union representing 150 Winnipeg airport workers sets strike deadline
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/07/2017 (2463 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Winnipeg Airports Authority and the union representing 150 of its employees enter the weekend with the clock ticking down to possible strike action.
Late Thursday night, the Public Service Alliance’s Union of Canadian Transport Employees served the authority with a required 72-hour strike notice.
Negotiations with the assistance of a federally appointed mediator, underway since July 17, will continue through the weekend. Should a tentative agreement not be reached, PSAC has advised the authority, which is responsible for the management and operation of Winnipeg Richardson International Airport, a strike will commence at 3:00 a.m. Monday.
“Our team remains committed to working night and day until Monday morning to negotiate a fair tentative agreement for our members employed by the WAA,” PSAC Prairies regional executive vice-president Marianne Hladun said Friday in a news release. “We’re still hopeful we can reach a deal and avoid the need for strike action.”
Approximately 150 airport employees — including duty managers, administrative workers, various tradespersons, IT workers, airfield maintenance and labourers — have been without a contract since June 30, 2016.
The Winnipeg Airports Authority said Friday it is prepared to continue mediation to find a suitable resolution in hopes of avoiding a labour disruption.
However, should the union decide to take strike action, the authority has contingency plans in place and does not anticipate any significant disruption to operations, it said in a news release.
One major bone of contention, the union has said, is to save jobs and stop management from contracting out work.
The authority has countered that claim, stating it has never contracted out union work. It also said since the new Winnipeg terminal opened in October 2011, the number of union positions has increased.
PSAC represents more than 170,000 workers across Canada, including nearly 8,000 in Manitoba.
The Winnipeg Airports Authority Inc. operates Richardson International Airport (which boasts some 4,000 employees on its campus), Iqaluit International Airport and other affiliated businesses.
