CANADIAN LABOUR/CANADIAN POLITICS-WINNIPEG:

AIR CANADA ATTENDANTS LEAFLET DURING ELECTION CAMPAIGN:

During this election campaign in Winnipeg flight attendants will be leafleting about the closure of the Winnipeg and Halifax bases for Air Canada attendants and how it should be an issue in the election. Here, from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), is the story.

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Air Canada Flight Attendants Challenge Political Candidates:
Winnipeg – Air Canada Flight Attendants who are campaigning to keep the flight attendant base open in Winnipeg, are taking their message to the election trail.

The flight attendants will be leafleting a couple of key ridings, to impress upon the public and ultimately the elected politicians, how important it is to keep the Air Canada base in Winnipeg.

According to George Bouchard, President of CUPE Local 4093 in Winnipeg, “we know how important it is to keep the flight attendant base in Winnipeg, so we are not giving up. Air Canada can do the right thing for the public, which we believe is also the right thing for the airline.”

Information on the leafleting locations and flight attendants available for interview can be reached through the contacts below.

In June, the airline announced the closure of bases in Winnipeg and Halifax and the layoff of about 600 flight attendants. Since then an Arbitrator has awarded the attendants limited compensation and some support for adjustments they will have to make to accommodate the airline’s closures.

While the airline claims the cuts and closures will save money, they have not revealed any figures to support their plans. The Union has also conducted a study of the base closures that shows how the airline will be paying up to $2 million a year to maintain flight attendant services if the bases are closed after November 1st this year.

For information, contact:

George Bouchard, CUPE Local 4093 President at (204) 999-3541

Dennis Lewycky, CUPE Communications at (204) 333-5065