Porter Airlines: Districts 361 & 362: Joint Strike Vote Meetings and Bargaining Update

January 8, 2019 at 5:10 PM
On January 18, 2019, your Unifor Local 2002 Bargaining Committees will be holding joint strike vote meetings for Porter Airlines Members-Districts 361 & 362 Ramp and Customer Service Representatives.

Your Bargaining Committees representatives are urging members from both districts to attend these important meetings.

Your Bargaining Committees will provide the membership with an update on the status of negotiations, and discuss the contentious issues. Representatives of the Bargaining Committees will be present at all the meetings and will be available to answer your questions.
 
Why are we having a Strike Vote?

The collective agreements for Porter Airlines: Ramp District 361 and District 362 – Customer Sales Representatives expired on April 26, 2018. Since that time, we have collected survey results, prepared bargaining proposals, and begun negotiations. The Company from the start of negotiations has made it clear that they expect us to accept concessions.

In order for bargaining to be successful, we need to pressure the Company to take our proposals seriously. As noted in our last update, we have filed for conciliation for both districts back in November 2018. A strike mandate is one of the only ways we can urge the Company to agree to a fair contract.

A Strike Vote – What you need to Know

• Having a strike vote has an important effect, it shows the Company that the Union are serious about our proposals and that the members are mobilizing to support them.
• You must vote to be part of the decision-making process.
• A strong strike vote will show that the membership supports the Bargaining Committees and proposals.
• A “Yes” vote gives your Bargaining Committees strong support to negotiate for a better contract, it shows the Company that we are prepared if necessary, to defend our proposals.
• Strikes are a last resort. However, a strike vote is often necessary in order to get progress at the Bargaining Table.
• A strike mandate vote is NOT a vote to take immediate strike action, rather it gives us the legal right to develop a strategic and effective approach.

Your vote counts. A clear “Yes” vote is our only source of bargaining power.

Let's send a message to the executives at Porter Airlines that our members deserve a fair and equitable agreement.

In attendance,  
 

Porter Airlines Bargaining Committee: District 361	Porter Airlines Bargaining Committee: District 362
Greg Hume, District Chairperson Eddy Candia, Bargaining Committee Representative Ryan Estiva, Bargaining Committee Representative	David Robinson, District Chairperson April Smith, Bargaining Committee Representative Frans Yeung, Bargaining Committee Representative

Unifor

• Gary Ellis, National Representative                                                          
• Charlotte Pape, Vice President – Central Region
• Ashley Watkins, Assistant to the Local 2002 President