‘You get what you pay for’: pilots give their take on circuit court crisis By: Danielle Da Silva Posted: 7:00 PM CST Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023

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This article was published 21/02/2023 (929 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Measly wages, poor labour management and difficult working conditions are being blamed for a pilot shortage that has plunged Manitoba’s circuit court system into crisis.

“You get what you pay for,” said Tim Perry, president of the Air Line Pilots Association Canada.

Flights taken by circuit court staff from Winnipeg to 22 remote Manitoba communities have been cancelled repeatedly in the past several months. The association, which is a union, says the issue could be resolved if the company hired by the Manitoba government paid pilots adequate compensation.

“We all have a responsibility, whether it’s a labour organization or an airline or the government, to take a step back and think long term and strategically about air service in Manitoba.”

“We all have a responsibility, whether it’s a labour organization or an airline or the government, to take a step back and think long term and strategically about air service in Manitoba.”–Tim Perry

The union represents about 460 pilots at airlines owned by Exchange Income Corp., including Perimeter Aviation, Bearskin Airlines, Calm Air, PAL Airlines, Wasaya and PAL Aerospace.

The Progressive Conservative government contracted the Winnipeg company in 2019 to provide flight services for justice system staff, including judges, Crown and defence lawyers, and Sheriff’s officers, to northern communities that do not have permanent, full-time court facilities.

The five-year contract was valued at $4.2 million annually; the Tories said it saved taxpayers up to $1.3 million per year. Previously, court staff used private carriers and the Manitoba Government Air Service, which pilots viewed as an “employer of choice,” the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union said in a report.

The Tory government blames an industry-wide pilot shortage for the flight disruptions.

The circuit court system is now in crisis as proceedings are cancelled or delayed, provincial court Chief Judge Margaret Wiebe has told the Free Press.

However, Perry said, attributing the disruptions to a pilot shortage is a convenient explanation and “considerable oversimplification” of a complex issue driven by a changing labour market.

Pilot recruitment and retention problems at airlines, such as those owned by EIC, are mostly due to cost-cutting, including offering only entry-level positions, driving down wages and refusing to address scheduling and working condition concerns, Perry said. A job listing for a first officer at Calm Air has an annual salary estimate of $58,300.

The practice creates a revolving door where too few pilots apply for jobs and those who are hired don’t stick around for the long haul, he said.

“People will leave for better opportunities,” Perry said. “That’s not necessarily their first choice. In a lot of cases, if the wages, and working conditions, and contracts were satisfactory, a lot of people would choose to stay.”

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Contract negotiations with Perimeter Aviation have stalled for more than two years, he said.

Pilots with Calm Air and Wasaya are currently at the bargaining table.

So far, EIC doesn’t appear to have a “realistic understanding” of the market, Perry said, declining to go into specifics about labour negotiations. However, there’s no reason why Manitoba cannot be a career destination for pilots, he said.

“The pilot market is much bigger than the realm of EIC,” he said. They have to understand that pilots have a specialized skill-set that’s nationally and internationally in demand. So, the fundamentals of the pilot market have shifted, and that’s something that has to be acknowledged.”

In an emailed statement, EIC chief executive officer Mike Pyle said he was unable to comment on circuit court flight cancellations under the terms of the company’s contract with the province.

“We are working with Manitoba Justice and anticipate a solution to the challenges faced shortly,” he said in response to questions from the Free Press.

Typical career paths mean pilots usually move on from smaller operators to major airlines, and the pilot shortage has accelerated the process since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Pyle said. The company’s acquisition of flight schools, its pilot training programs, and recruitment of Ukrainian pilots have somewhat mitigated the shortage, he said.

Pyle declined to comment on concerns over wages, working conditions and turnover raised by the union, adding bargaining for EIC subsidiaries is underway.

He noted air services contracted by Manitoba Justice are currently being provided by Keewatin Air, whose pilots are not represented by his union.

Keewatin Air pilots were unionized members of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 224 until they decertified in December 2022.

On Tuesday, Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen said he takes the circuit court crisis seriously and is looking for long-term solutions. However, hiring pilots — which could be a short-term solution — is not the provincial government’s responsibility, he said.

“I wish I could tell you that finding pilots was as easy as adding water and stirring, but it’s not that easy,” he said at an unrelated news conference.

Goertzen said the department is looking at conducting some routine northern court proceedings virtually. He acknowledged internet connectivity could be a challenge and there are legitimate concerns about holding trials virtually.

“That, I think, would alleviate both a lot of concerns about the court delays, but frankly, I think would be better for the justice system overall,” Goertzen said.

NDP justice critic Nahanni Fontaine said the privatization of government air services was expected to lead to labour shortages, owing to less attractive pay and working conditions, and a loss of control over delivery and service standards.

“Senior government officials… that are seeing justice delayed should be imparting very strongly on (Exchange Income Corp.) how important it is that EIC get their act together,” Fontaine said.

An immediate, government-led action plan to get pilots on board to support justice services is necessary, Fontaine said, adding court dockets didn’t get backed up overnight.

“This is reaching a crisis point,” Fontaine said. “Why has the government so abominably dropped the ball on this issue?”

“This is reaching a crisis point… Why has the government so abominably dropped the ball on this issue?”–NDP justice critic Nahanni Fontaine

Meanwhile, Perry said the province has a role in ensuring essential air service in Manitoba is sustainable. Smaller, regional airlines need to be stable and profitable and government contracts should reflect that, he said.

“Privatizing service is not a silver bullet to reducing costs,” he said. “There are all sorts of other considerations, including labour considerations, that need everybody’s full attention.”

— with files from Katie May

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca