Air Canada Machinists, Baggage Handlers Plan Strike Monday

Air Canada’s machinists, baggage handlers and cargo agents have issued a strike notice for Monday. The airline said that the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), which represents the airline’s approximately 8,600 mechanics, baggage handlers and cargo agents in Canada, said that it will go on strike at 12:01 a.m. Monday.

The strike hits as spring break travel gets going. Air Canada is hoping for a resolution before the strike. “The lines of communication remain open and we are hopeful that there remains sufficient time to avoid a work disruption,” said Duncan Dee, Air Canada’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. “We regret the uncertainty for our customers and we thank them for their patience and understanding. This threatened job action follows the disappointing rejection of the unanimously recommended tentative agreement signed by the IAMAW bargaining committee following the federal mediation before the Honorable Madam Justice Louise Otis.” About two-thirds of the union’s membership rejected the agreement last month.

If there is a strike, Air Canada said that it will try to minimize customer inconvenience. It did say that it expects to get a larger-than-usual number of phone calls and advised customers to go to its website, aircanada.com, for updates.

This is the latest in a series of ongoing labor woes for Air Canada, which narrowly avoided a pilot strike in mid-February. Last October, Canada’s labor minister, Lisa Raitt intervened to halt a flight attendant strike. The question is whether or not Raitt will intervene again.