Canadian Machinists Conference

Once again the IAM&AW members at Air Canada are facing large numbers of layoffs scheduled to begin in April 2010.  There will be 435 permanent layoffs system-wide, with an additional approximate 400 temporary layoffs over the summer months of 2010.

The Union has presented the company with numerous programs and ideas to mitigate some of the layoffs, however, the company has not yet responded.

These layoffs are attributed to the escalation of the A319/A320 heavy maintenance visits.  The Gantt chart (maintenance schedule breakdown per base) shows large amounts of ‘white space’ or lack of aircraft in the maintenance hangars from May to Sept, 2010, at all three (3) maintenance bases (YVR, YWG, YUL).

What is quite alarming is that the membership ratified an extension to the collective agreement in July, 2009, providing the company with the labour stability it so desperately required during the 2010 Olympics, only to have these massive job cuts announced only four (4) months later!  Is this “bargaining in good faith”?

Machinists at Air Canada have been sounding the alarm about the maintenance of aircraft in low-cost MROs based in third-world countries, for some time now.  As predicted, airlines, faced with increased financial pressure due to the current economic climate, have begun outsourcing heavy maintenance of their aircraft to such facilities.

Recently Southwest Airlines started having B737 maintenance checks performed in El Salvador, at an MRO called Aeroman.  This is the same MRO inwhich AVEOS, formerly known as Air Canada Technical Services, is a major stake-holder.  Air Canada union members fear the same may eventually happen to their fleet which is currently maintained at heavy maintenance bases in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Montreal.

With comparatively low wages, sub-standard health and safety regulations and  no collective agreement to protect the abundance of available cheap labour, the playing field is definitely not level! As such, it is not possible for us to compete with these types of facilities.

For more information about the Southwest Airlines story:
Click here

IAM&AW members at Air Canada voted 60.32% in favour of a 21 month deal involving the pension plan and collective agreement issues.

The Machinists’ Union was the last of the organized groups to ratify with Air Canada.  Now, the airline can continue with it’s plan to seek financing to survive the current cash-crunch it is faced with.

The Pension and Collective agreement deal for the TMOS group at Air Canada has been voted down by 50.8%!

After days of intense meetings, the Negotiation Committee for the Machinists at Air Canada have reached a tentative agreement with the company.

At the same time, District Lodge 140 representatives were meeting with the company to work out a pension agreement that would protect members pensions while giving Air Canada much needed pension payment obligation relief.

A schedule of information meetings and ratification votes across the system has now been release.  See the District Lodge 140 negotiations website for more information.

With new announcements regarding the future of Air Canada, the unions are making preparations of their own.  Read more