Porter Airlines workers on strike

12 posts / 0 new

Fri, 2013-01-11 21:04

radiorahim radiorahim's picture

Workers at Porter Airlines, a Toronto based commuter airline that flies out of the downtown Toronto Island Airport went on strike on yesterday.

These are the workers who are responsible for fueling aircraft at the airport and are members of the Canadian Office & Professional Employees (COPE). They just organized into a union in August and are trying to get their first contract.

Managment is using other Porter employees apparently to scab the strike and there's a serious safety concern because these folks have had very little training.

More on the COPE Ontario website here

Tue, 2013-06-25 00:38

onlinediscountanvils

The strike's over. Congrats to the workers who just ratified their first contract with 85% support.

Fri, 2013-10-04 20:01

Jabberwock

I saw a decert granted by CLB June 19th for Porter's CUPE workers, so bittersweet.

Fri, 2013-10-04 20:01

Jabberwock

I saw a decert granted by CLB June 19th for Porter's CUPE workers, so bittersweet.

Fri, 2013-10-04 22:00

Unionist

Jabberwock wrote:

I saw a decert granted by CLB June 19th for Porter's CUPE workers, so bittersweet.

[url=http://www.qualisult.com/forsearch/cirb/dec/eng/2013/20157.pdf]Here's the decert.[/url] They're employed in Ottawa? Any idea what the story is on this?

Fri, 2013-10-11 00:27

radiorahim radiorahim's picture

I don't know what the story is with Porter in Ottawa. In Toronto, after a really tough strike and lots of mobilizing by the labour movement COPE managed to win a contract for the ground crews here.

I'm guessing that the number of customer service reps in Ottawa is quite small, and with low wages, high staff turnover and a vicious employer it was probably quite difficult for CUPE to hang on to the bargaining unit.

Wed, 2013-11-13 20:10

Jabberwock

I don't know either- I am wondering if they failed to get a first CA? It's a pretty recent cert.

Wed, 2013-11-13 20:47

kropotkin1951

They settled months ago. First contracts are always hard to negotiate and hardly ever give the workers everything they were hoping for.

ETA sorry I thought the question was about the TO cert which was also a first contract. I will add the Ottawa info.

Quote:

Ottawa, Ontario, October 15, 2012—Porter Airlines and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 5067 following the ratification of a collective agreement.

On March 2, 2012, the CUPE Local 5067 was certified by the Canada Industrial Relations Board to represent a unit of approximately 60 Porter Airlines employees working in Ottawa, including customer service representatives and operations agents. This is the first collective agreement for the unit and it will be in effect for one year.

The agreement was reached with assistance from the Labour Program’s Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service provides dispute resolution and dispute prevention assistance to trade unions and employers under the jurisdiction of the Canada Labour Code.

http://news.gc.ca/web/article-eng.do?nid=701269

Quote:

A Porter Airlines subsidiary has reached a first agreement with refuellers and customer service employees, ending a more than five-month strike.

A tentative deal was approved Monday evening by 85 per cent of the 22 members of the Canadian Office and Professional Employees union (COPE).

Union Local 343 and Porter FBO Ltd. also agreed to withdraw all litigation between them.

Mary Stalteri, union staff representative, said the deal contained a series of monetary and non-monetary gains, including lump sum payments, scheduling changes and grandfathering clauses for employees. Wages will also be reopened for discussion next year.

"There were lots of improvements in different areas," she said, declining to indicate the annual wage increase.

"When you add it all up it's good for both parties and the members were pleased as you can tell from the ratification process."

Stalteri said the negotiations and strike were learning processes for everyone.

"First contracts are hard and I think everybody learned from this particular experience. The gains that they made, I think they felt it was worth it."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/settlement-ends-bitter-porter-airl...

Thu, 2013-11-14 00:22

Unionist

kropotkin1951 wrote:

ETA sorry I thought the question was about the TO cert which was also a first contract. I will add the Ottawa info.

Krop - the CUPE Ottawa unit was [b]decertified[/b] on June 19, 2013 - I posted the CIRB decision above, in October. The question is whether anyone knows the story on that. We still don't have an answer.

Thu, 2013-11-14 10:38

#10

kropotkin1951

A good reason to never fly Porter Airlines. Sorry I got confused.

Fri, 2014-09-26 13:15

#11

Unionist

Well, things are moving forward I hope:

[url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/porter-airlines-baggag... Airlines’ baggage handlers join Unifor[/url]

Quote:
About 80 Porter baggage handlers have agreed to join Unifor, the union created last year by the merger of the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada. [...]

“It’s huge,” said Unifor president Jerry Dias, who has made enlarging the union through organizing drives at Porter, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. and other non-union or mostly non-union companies a key priority since he became the first president of the merged union.

The union mounted a six-month organizing drive, Mr. Dias said Thursday. “We had an organizing drive years ago that went nowhere,” he said.

Thu, 2014-11-13 21:52

#12

radiorahim radiorahim's picture

I somehow missed this. Best wishes to Unifor in winning a first contract at Porter Airlines. They're a particularly nasty and vicious employer.