October 10, 2019 at 4:11 PM
As we have previously communicated on July 4, 2019, both Unions have submitted their respective membership lists to the Employer for review. The Employer must review these lists before any monies can be allocated to the respective Unions- Unifor and Teamsters.
Following this, the Employer- Swissport informed the Unions that the amount of the arbitration award was to be divided amongst the four union groups and not three as previously communicated.
On September 25, 2019, the parties held a conference call with the Arbitrator to discuss the challenges of distributing the monies to the union groups. A decision was made by the arbitrator
Claude Martin to hear the party’s representations in November 2019. At this point in time, we don’t have a specific date confirmed in November. Further communication will be provided following the November meeting. All of the parties will be attending along with the legal councils of both the Unions and the Company.
The Employer will argue that the amount should be divided amongst all four Union Locals. Unifor does not believe that the arbitrator has jurisdiction since more than a year has elapsed since the decision was issued on July 2018, therefore, we feel he cannot modify his decision.
In the meantime, the monies have been held in a trust fund account by the Employer as of October 2018. Please note; the Unions do not have access to any of these funds. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact the undersigned below.
In Solidarity,
Theresa Amicarelli
Assistant to the Local 2002 President
Josee Genois
Assistant to the Local 2002 President