Heading out of town for the Labour Day long weekend? Sorry, folks. You might be in trouble if you’re flying. Travellers flying to or from Vancouver this weekend may face significant delays or even cancellations if almost 350 unionized airport workers go on strike this Friday. The Public Service Alliance of Canada issued a 72-hour strike notice Tuesday warning the public to contact their airline in the event of strike action.
The basic gist of the conflict: the union is upset that Vancouver Airport Authority is spending millions on capital projects yet proposing rollbacks for the staff.
From The Vancouver Sun:The union said the airport has tabled language that weakens apprenticeship provisions in the collective agreement, and wants to create a two-tier wage system by creating a new class of “seasonal” workers.The notice comes a couple weeks after 83 per cent of the union’s members voted in favour of a strike. The workers are members of the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees, a division of the public service alliance, and provide services in emergency response, customer care, passenger loading, runway maintenance and lighting, general maintenance and administration.
Enjoying a staycation this weekend? Use our list of 5 fun things to do in Vancouver before the end of summer.
Photo credit: YVR
Last modified: August 28, 2013
A last-minute deal has been reached to avoid a strike: http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Last+minute+deal+reached+avert+strike/8850923/story.html