February 26, 2015 at 2:00 PM
Air Canada's rushed application for conciliation is
premature and a departure from previous bargaining patterns, says the union
representing over 4,100 Customer Sales and Service Agents.
"We're eager to negotiate in good faith and there
are lots of items to discuss," said Cheryl Robinson, President of Unifor Local
2002. "But Air Canada appears eager for government interference early in the
process."
Usually used as a last resort after reaching an
impasse, conciliation triggers the appointment of a federally appointed
conciliator that works at the bargaining table with the employer and the union
for up to 60 days. However, Unifor disagrees that negotiations are anywhere near
an impasse.
"We're only 14 days into bargaining and they're
already pressing the panic button," said Leslie Dias, lead negotiator for Local
2002. "In all my years at Air Canada, I've never seen management so quick to
declare an impasse."
Regardless of Air Canada's bargaining strategy,
Unifor is confident that a negotiated settlement will be the outcome of these
talks.
Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private
sector, representing more than 305,000 workers. It was formed Labour Day weekend
2013 when the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and
Paperworkers unions merged.
Source: Unifor The Union
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