Air Canada Wildcat Baggage Handlers Strike

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Notorious Honey Badger

boil the workers in hot oil!

in all seriousness good for them. just because an anti union conservative government keeps interfering with rights that our great great grandfathers had their heads split over doesn't mean they suddenly dont exit.

Different time, different place, different needs.

[Fobby]

Nm

[Buff]

They better get this settled soon. I have to fly with them (thanks to AirMiles) to go to Hawaii and I am not missing this trip.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Notorious Honey Badger

boil the workers in hot oil!

in all seriousness good for them. just because an anti union conservative government keeps interfering with rights that our great great grandfathers had their heads split over doesn't mean they suddenly dont exit.

Well I hope that they're ready to pay the price.

Air Canada obtains an inunction

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...rticle2378787/

I don't think that the union is onboard with this strike but I could be wrong

Its not like these people are being badly paid for what they do, it looks like their pay far exceeds what Westjet baggage handlers make.

I have no doubt that Air Canada is badly managed, but top to bottom all of the employees have to really take the blame for the continued failure of Air Canada and its time to ditch this pig.

Chances are a lot of people are not going to use Air Canada if someone else is going to provide the same service with no chance of the grief.

Its funny reading the Ratemycompany website on Air Canada

http://www.ratemyemployer.ca/employe...?empID=93&l=en

Its not like Baggage Handler is a final career destination, and anyone thinking it is is foolish, its a transitional job.

[CaptainCrunch]

What?

Bill Trbovich, a spokesman for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), said the parties agreed to end the action on the condition the striking workers would not receive any penalties or fines, and the three suspended employees and 37 Air Canada staff that were subsequently fired afterward would be reinstated immediately without fines or penalties.

[fliguy]

Originally Posted by Violator

I Was working as a baggage handler in Vancouver for 10.75 an hour the Compaby did west jet Cathay pacific The guys for Aircanada made mid twentys to start and used to leave bags on the runway all the time.

I know for a fact that is not true. AC starts baggage handlers at $11, and top out at just over $21. I should also mention that it takes 10 years to to the $21/ hour rate. I have also seen every ground handler leave bags behind, whether it was Hudson/Globe Ground, or ATS, or whoever. Sounds like your just peeved because you never got to work at AC. Make sure you know the facts before you go spouting off.

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by fliguy

I know for a fact that is not true. AC starts baggage handlers at $11, and top out at just over $21. I should also mention that it takes 10 years to to the $21/ hour rate. Make sure you know the facts before you go spouting off.

Are there actually people who work ten years as a baggage handler?

[-TC-]

I hate AC, of all the flights I've booked for the first two quarters of the year (5), only one is on AC and that wasn't my choice.

[flylock shox]

It's kind of funny that someone who worked as a baggage handler would choose "Violator" as a handle.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by Maccalus

I don't think Baggage Handler salaries are what are sinking this company when they pay them about the same as the average Superstore Cashier makes.

According to payscale.com (take it with a grain of salt), Superstore cashiers earn from $8.04 to $23.09 per hour: http://www.payscale.com/research/CA/...re/Hourly_Rate

According to the IAM collective agreement with Air Canada (page 78 of the PDF), baggage handlers, aka Station Attendants, start at $8.33 full time and go up to $21.69.: http://iam140.ca/userfiles/file/Coll...da_anglais.pdf

[Flabbibulin]

Originally Posted by Notorious Honey Badger

boil the workers in hot oil!

in all seriousness good for them. just because an anti union conservative government keeps interfering with rights that our great great grandfathers had their heads split over doesn't mean they suddenly dont exit.

The great great grandfathers you are referring to were lobbying for labor rights in a time where work schedules were typically 12 hours a day/6 days a week, safety and labor regulations were non-existent, workplace accidents and injuries were rampant (and no compensation), child labor was a common practice, and wages were embarrassingly low.

They weren't lobbying for unskilled laborers to receive the same salary as university grads while only working 6 hours a day.... in a job that Borat's idiot brother Bilo could probably fulfill with his eyes closed.

[fliguy]

Originally Posted by fredr123

According to payscale.com (take it with a grain of salt), Superstore cashiers earn from $8.04 to $23.09 per hour: http://www.payscale.com/research/CA/...re/Hourly_Rate

According to the IAM collective agreement with Air Canada (page 78 of the PDF), baggage handlers, aka Customer Service Agent - Airport, earn $23.93 to $26.52: http://iam140.ca/userfiles/file/Coll...da_anglais.pdf

Customer Service Agents are the ones inside the terminal who assist passengers. The baggage handlers (station attendants is how they are classified in your link above) are a different job and on a different wage scale. A baggage handler (station attendants) can only become a CSA by bidding on an open position when they become available ie retirement.

The agreement you linked to is from 2002, which is before AC employees took a 20% paycut, so that contract you are showing is no longer valid. That is what the employees are upset about. They took a 20% paycut to help the company stay afloat. Then they see Robert Milton, ex CEO of AC, walk away with somewhere between 80-100 million dollars after employees volunteered to take the paycut. Along comes the next CEO and walks away with $20 million dollars. Now the current CEO is getting a $5 million dollar bonus just for staying with the company. Upper management gets bonuses and increased pension payouts, while the company is telling the rest of the employees that there is no money to pay into the pension as they are obligated to, and there is no money for any type of raise. So no raises and no pension payments by the company, while the higher ups get bonuses and wage increase. If management backed up what they are saying by themselves not taking bonuses and increasing their pension, I am sure there would be a whole lot less conflict.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by fliguy

Customer Service Agents are the ones inside the terminal who assist passengers. The baggage handlers are a different job and on a different wage scale, as I stated above. A baggage handler can only become a CSA by bidding on an open position when the become available ie retirement.

Originally Posted by Collective Agreement

6.03.01.03 Customer Service Agent - Airports
Is employed by the Company to perform ramp, baggage and cargo duties, communications and other general operational duties as required and also, to handle passenger/customer service functions as required.

Sounded like a baggage handler to me. If I am mistaken, please find the correct line on the salary grid for me so I can compare and correct my earlier post. Is what you are describing a Station Attendant?

They start at $8.33 full time and go up to $21.69.

[fliguy]

You responded too quickly my friend. I was editing my answer when you wrote this.

Yes, they are Station Attendants.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by fliguy

Customer Service Agents are the ones inside the terminal who assist passengers. The baggage handlers (station attendants is how they are classified in your link above) are a different job and on a different wage scale. A baggage handler (station attendants) can only become a CSA by bidding on an open position when they become available ie retirement.

The agreement you linked to is from 2002, which is before AC employees took a 20% paycut, so that contract you are showing is no longer valid. That is what the employees are upset about. They took a 20% paycut to help the company stay afloat. Then they see Robert Milton, ex CEO of AC, walk away with somewhere between 80-100 million dollars after employees volunteered to take the paycut. Along comes the next CEO and walks away with $20 million dollars. Now the current CEO is getting a $5 million dollar bonus just for staying with the company. Upper management gets bonuses and increased pension payouts, while the company is telling the rest of the employees that there is no money to pay into the pension as they are obligated to, and there is no money for any type of raise. So no raises and no pension payments by the company, while the higher ups get bonuses and wage increase. If management backed up what they are saying by themselves not taking bonuses and increasing their pension, I am sure there would be a whole lot less conflict.

That agreement was the only one listed on the IAM website. The numbers I used were from the 2009 column which included a "temporary reduction" in wages and reduced hours. The contract is valid from year to year until such time as the Union or the Company gives notice to redo the deal (which I'm assuming has happened since we are where we are in the labour situation).

[Jacks]

Why would anyone purposely book with AC?

I can see if you had no other choice I guess but you gotta figure there is at least a reasonable chance of having to deal with a disgruntled union member at some point during your trip. Assuming that your flight even happens that is.

[Komskies]

What's a Wildcat strike? Sit in lawn chair and drink this?

[Maccalus]

Originally Posted by Jacks

Why would anyone purposely book with AC?

Even with the incompetent management, Prices being equal, I would still book AC over any other north american airline. For me, what sells me is the inflight entertainment system. On Air Canada, the screen is larger, movies are free and can be paused for interruptions and you are not stuck watching daytime tv when the flight is during the day or infomercials for redeye flights. Also, having more flight times equals shorter layovers.

We have to remember that both of Canada's major airlines are large steps above any of the American Airlines. We have it pretty good compared to them. Internationally, neither holds up to some of the south east asia airlines or others such as Emirates.

[pylon]

I really can't fathom, that these Buffoons don't understand they are only going to make their issues worse by doing this. I booked a flight to Hawaii today for October, and might have even considered AC based on a deal I could have snagged, but paid about 10% extra, to go the Westjet route.

Customers do not sympathize with you and your little tantrum. In fact we want to stick it to you, and bury you and your employer faster because of your dysfunction.

Get Bent, and bring in the scabs.

[NuclearPizzaMan]

We should redouble our efforts to replace baggage handlers with robots.

Then I guess we will need to build bigger prisons after we've automated all the jobs within these peoples' skill sets.