No end in sight for airport strike
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/08/2017 (2969 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Strike enters second week
A strike by about 150 Winnipeg airport employees has entered its second week, with no end in sight.
Officials with the Winnipeg Airports Authority (WAA) and the union representing the striking workers — the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s (PSAC) Union of Canadian Transportation Employees — said Monday although both sides are in regular contact with a federally appointed mediator, no direct bargaining is taking place.
However, WAA president and CEO Barry Rempel and PSAC regional executive vice-president Marianne Hladun said their respective sides are ready to return to the bargaining table if the mediator asks them.
“The sooner we can get these folks back (on the job)… the better,” Rempel said.
“As soon as he (the mediator) tells us the airport is willing to come back to the table, we’ll be there,” Hladun said.
There have been no direct talks between the two sides since the workers walked off the job on July 24. The employees, who include duty managers, administrative workers and various tradespeople, have been without a contract since June 30 of last year.
The WAA and the union each claim the other side was the one to walk away from the bargaining table. Outstanding issues include wage increases, pension plan changes and the contracting out of work to non-union employees.
Rempel said the contract dispute is not having a major impact so far on air travellers.
“The pickets have been very respectful of passengers. When a passenger is coming out (of the airport terminal), they stop and let them by automatically,” he said.
He also noted the striking employees are mainly behind-the-scenes workers who don’t deal directly with the public.
“So from a passenger’s perspective, they don’t see anything other than people walking back and forth (on the picket line),” he said.
— Murray McNeill