October 31, 2014 at 8:30 PM
The union was blindsided today with information of the Greater Toronto
Airport Authority’s (GTAA's)intention to modify its handling of customers with
disabilities at Pearson Airport in 2015.
In a communiqué released on Friday, Air Canada announced that the company –
along with other airlines and ground handlers operating at Pearson – would be
losing the Airport Customer Assistance Program (or "ACAP") scope work. The GTAA
intends to move forward in 2015 with a single, common source, which will provide
these services to all customers with disabilities starting May 1, 2015.
Air Canada seems to be unable to provide any additional details at this time.
The GTAA claims that they are removing this work from airline and ground
handlers due to an unprecedented rise in customer complaints.
Unifor is questioning whether Air Canada has purposely employed a strategy to
disregard the needs of passengers requiring assistance by the changes to staff
deployment which leave our members stretched far too thin. When faced with
arriving flights with multiple customers with wheelchair requirements, calls to
deployment for assistance are usually met with a response of, "do your best”.
Naturally our customers are going to complain. As customer service specialists
we [Unifor] are frequently embarrassed by the deplorable way in which Air Canada
chooses to treat these passengers. Air Canada has turned their back on the
feedback and the numerous suggestions the union has provided to improve the
wheelchair handling situation.
The handling of any Air Canada passengers with disabilities is clearly Unifor
scope work, and has been for over 60 years. It is the intention of the union to
use any and every legal avenue possible to defend this work.
We will provide more updates as they become available.
For more information, please contact your regional bargaining representative
/14-10-31 Unifor denounces GTAA intention to Take Over Handling of Customers with
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Tags: #aircanada #gtaa #pearson #disabilities #wheelchair #scope #may