STATUS OF COMMON EMPLOYER FILINGS REFUELING OPERATIONS UPDATE
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As most of you are aware, the IAMAW filed a Common Employer Application in early December with the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) in an effort to preserve our member’s jobs in the airline industry. Your Union has since filed further applications with the CIRB in order to ensure that all contracting airlines (which specifically include WestJet and Air Transat) are listed as parties to these applications.
These applications were filed in an effort to prevent and/or halt the airlines from tendering out our members work to other service providers (likely non-unionized) with significantly less rates of pay, vacation entitlements, benefits and other related payroll costs, etc.
These applications were also filed in an effort to compel as many of the dominant contracting airlines as possible, into filing responses to our applications. This allows your Union and its legal counsel to be equipped with as much information as possible and to also prevent many of the airlines from simply ignoring or hiding from the complaints that are before the CIRB.
The CIRB has determined that because of the recent inclusion of “the contracting airlines” (which specifically include WestJet and Air Transat), they will give all parties listed in the complaints until March 9, 2015 to file their responses.
The IAMAW is hopeful that formal CIRB hearings will be scheduled in March 2015. In the meantime, it is business as usual, and all IAMAW members employed at the various fuelling operations across the country are encouraged to continue to demonstrate and provide the airlines with the best service possible as only an experienced and professional unionized workforce can.
Download the official bulletin below.
