CANADIAN LABOUR:
THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST AIR CANADA CUTS:
As promised here is more on the continuing campaign against the recently announced illegal cuts on the part of Air Canada management. From the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)...
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Flight attendants fight Air Canada layoffs:
CUPE members are rallying, leafleting, advertising and emailing against Air Canada’s plan to eliminate hundreds of jobs and close bases in Halifax and Winnipeg.
This action will have a devastating impact on passengers, employees, their families and ultimately on everyone in the community.
On July 10th, Air Canada management notified flight attendants in Manitoba and Halifax, that they would be laid off in November.
The layoffs would affect 144 CUPE flight attendants in Winnipeg and 187 in Halifax.
Since then the union has launched a campaign to fight the cuts and the closures.
Flight attendants are contacting politicians to get their support to have the airline withdraw its planned cuts and closures.
Meetings have been held with local MPs to get their support. A number of MPs have already intervened to help resolve this situation. Send email to your MP.
CUPE will distribute postcards this week at the Richardson International Airport in Winnipeg to raise awareness about how the cuts and closures will affect passengers.
Newspaper ads will run this week in Winnipeg’s two major newspapers.
CUPE is planning rallies for Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver on Monday, July 28th at noon.
The company plans to cut attendant bases in Winnipeg and Halifax, leaving bases in Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary and Montreal.
Air Canada asked the Minister of Labour to exempt the company from requirements of the Canada Labour Code - sections 214 to 226, Division IX, Part III.
These provisions allow for a reasonable way to address worker concerns when there are major layoffs proposed by an employer.
Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn said he will investigate the request and report by July 30th. The union has argued that there is no justification for the exemption.
Politicians have been asked to write to Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Lawrence Cannon to intervene on behalf of the Air Canada employees. Already letters have gone from a number of MPs and hundreds of e-mails have been sent from the public.
The union has asked to see a ‘base viability study’ Air Canada conducted after they decided to close the two bases. The airline has refused to release the study results.
The Winnipeg flight attendant base is the airline's oldest. Trans-Canada Air Line was started in 1937 and the Winnipeg base was the first established for flight attendants.
After Air Canada acquired Canadian Airlines in 2000, the company reduced the number of flight attendants to 7,200 from 8,500.
Flight attendants agreed to a 13.5 per cent wage rate cut, among other concessions, to deal with the airline's financial crisis in 2003 and 2004.
The airline was privatized in 1989. In 2000, Air Canada acquired Canadian Airlines International. The largest private sector owner of the airline is ACE Aerospace Holdings, of Toronto.
Robert Milton, Chairman of Air Canada earned a $1.2 million salary, a $3.9 million bonus and $11.2 million in stock option gains from Air Canada in 2007. He posted $23.1 million in option gains since ACE was created in October of 2004.
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Here's the list of rallies planned for next Monday.........
Rallies to protest Air Canada layoffs
Calgary
Calgary Airport
Delta hotel , Marie Wright Room on the Mezzanine Level
10:00 am
Claire Renaud
President
403-870-1779
403-221-2625
CUPE 4095
Halifax
Grand Parade Square
at George and Barrington Centre
2:00 pm
Lisa Vivian Anthony
President
902-873-2307
902-430-6548
CUPE 4090
Montreal
Aéroport de Montréal
Departure Level – Door One
1:00 pm
Suzanne St-Jean
President
514-347-4658
514-422-2235
CUPE 4091
Toronto
Pearson International Airport
Arrivals Area F
(Details to be confirmed)
1:00 pm
Cidalia Ribeiro
President
416-795-4293
905-676-4293
CUPE 4092
Vancouver
International Airport
March from Sea Island Elementary School on Miller Road, up Grant McConachie Way to airport.
March begins at 10:00 am
Deborah Purvey
President
604-551-5737
604-279-9905/106
604-295-4259
CUPE 4094
Winnipeg
Air Canada Centre
355 Portage Avenue
assemble at Radisson Hotel and walk at 11:45
12 Noon
George Bouchard
President
204-999-3541
204-788-6958
CUPE 4093
When: July 28, 2008 (All Day)
Location: Across Canada
Contact: Daniela Scarpelli
Related Link: http://cupe.ca/airlines/Flight-attendants-fi
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