January 20, 2015 at 10:17 AM
Your ATS bargaining committee began negotiations on December 17, 2014 and have met with the employer on three separate occasions. Our mandate was clear; to reach an agreement that would make progress and restore working conditions to the pre-2013 agreement. (In 2013 workers accepted a freeze on wages and the wage progression in order to keep the Toronto airport operation viable.)
And over the past 20 months the company has assured workers that their sacrifices would be recognized in their next contract.
However, at our last bargaining meeting on January 19, 2015 the company maintained that in order to remain in business in Toronto it would require further assistance and sacrifice from its employees. As a result of these unfair demands negotiations broke down. The union filed a Notice of Dispute with the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) on January 19, 2015. As a result, a federal conciliator will be appointed to by the Office of the Minister of Labour to assist with bargaining for 60 days, followed by 21 days of mediation. These are the steps required in order to be in a legal strike position.
Due to the extremely competitive ground handling environment at the GTAA, ATS has been unable to secure contracts in Toronto and is currently handling only United Airlines and Icelandair; membership numbers have shrunk from a robust 450 to under 150.
This has been the trend in Toronto ground handling for many years as contracts are lost and won. The casualties are the workers who ride this rickety roller coaster from handler to handler with no successor rights.
It is time that ATS members were rewarded for their loyalty and dedication to this company. They need to be protected from this uncertainty with guarantees on wages and benefits. No one wins in this race to the bottom as workers migrate from one employer to another for minimum wages and little to no benefits.
ATS workers are integral members of the airport community and they deserve better for themselves and their families. ATS members deserve a fair deal.
In solidarity,
Your ATS Bargaining Committee:
David Olawale
Erica Bonnick
Dinesh Sehgal
Theresa Amicarelli, Local 2002 Executive Assistant
Cheryl Robinson Local 2002 President
Leslie Dias Unifor National Representative