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Air Canada pilot strike vote open.


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  • 2 weeks later...

It doesn’t work that way in Canada.  

Different bargaining units can not participate in the strike action of another group even if in the same union.

If the WestJet pilots had gone on strike the Encore pilots would have been obligated to go to work.  Same if the Encore pilots had gone on strike.  The WestJet pilots would have been obligated to go to work.

only the Air Canada mainline pilot bargaining unit will be in a strike position in September 

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But, realistically; if AC Mainline shuts down, what will be the need for many of the scheduled Jazz flights? Or does the CPA pay Jazz to operate the flights anyway? Even when near empty?

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39 minutes ago, conehead said:

But, realistically; if AC Mainline shuts down, what will be the need for many of the scheduled Jazz flights? Or does the CPA pay Jazz to operate the flights anyway? Even when near empty?

No details avail but .....the Current Capacity Agreement runs into 2025

https://chorusaviation.com/chorus-aviation-finalizes-revisions-to-the-capacity-purchase-agreement-with-air-canada/

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19 hours ago, conehead said:

But, realistically; if AC Mainline shuts down, what will be the need for many of the scheduled Jazz flights? Or does the CPA pay Jazz to operate the flights anyway? Even when near empty?

I would expect Jazz to be tasked with running as many mainline routes as possible - Rapidairs, etc.

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1 hour ago, Seeker said:

I would expect Jazz to be tasked with running as many mainline routes as possible - Rapidairs, etc.

That makes sense. Embraer 170s, CRJ900s, Q400s... they're gonna be busy!

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I'd watch how the government responds to this week's rail strike/lockout possibility. The rails are more important economically than the largest airline, but politically, an AC strike is just as significant

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One can not have a constitutional right to strike and at the same time fearful the government will simply take that right with a flash of a hand.

That would mean the right doesn’t actually exist.

Notice there is no back to work legislation.  Harper was prepping back to work legislation in advance in 2010-11. Railways as well. It takes days to pass.  It’s too late to use back to work legislation, to prevent a  strike.  The essential service question is settled.

If the workers decide to strike.  They will be on strike. 

Another

Vancouver Port Authority strike.
 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_BC_Port_strike
This was bigger as well.  No government intervention at all.  CIRB being very consistent with stepping in if you break the rules.  This strike eventually had CIRB intervention over giving 72 hours notice.

There was another Port Strike the CIRB intervened in where the union had their strike vote deemed illegal.

Government has been consistently hands off.  CIRB consistently hands off unless you break the rules.

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13 hours ago, Turbofan said:

One can not have a constitutional right to strike and at the same time fearful the government will simply take that right with a flash of a hand.

That would mean the right doesn’t actually exist.

Couldn't the Nothwithstanding Clause nullify it for a few years?  Governments certainly seem to getting more amendable to using it in labour disputes.

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Yes the notwithstanding clause can override a constitutional right.

This government was very critical of Doug Ford when he attempted and then backed down for that with the Ontario teachers.

Simply put.  Without the right to strike negotiations are tilted in favour of the employer. In fact you simply won't get negotiations.  All you get is edicts and management walks away.

What we are seeing is cooperations crying the blues as their advantage is taken and they are forced kicking and screaming into a level playing field.

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All the news articles I've seen regarding these negotiations mention that the AC pilot union, in addition to compensation, is trying to fix their pension. Does this mean they are trying to reinstate defined benefit pensions for all their pilots? I realize that new hires currently go onto the hybrid pension, which I thought, if invested wisely could actually be of greater value 

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I never said they were better, I said they “could be” more valuable if markets co-operated. Of course a DB plan is better in that it’s guaranteed income at retirement even if it is slightly less than a well managed hybrid. . However, the hybrid is better than anything being currently offered in the  private sector(currently DC plans). No one in the private sector is offering DB plans to new hires. To get DB reinstated for new hires and all those hired since 2015 seems like a monumental ask

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The comment that a non-DB pension 'could be better' under the right circumstances triggers me - not your fault, but history.

Air Canada pilots have given away real, existing benefits for theoretical gains so often and so deeply that after awhile it  just became black comedy.  It was like a shell game with two shells and one side just could not keep track of where the pea was.   So we have this ridiculous situation of an employee group with divided pension interests and individuals paying a portion of their salary to the company for pension payments, while the company is on a funding holiday.  Where is that money going? 

If I had a friend giving stuff away at the rate ACPA had, there would have been an intervention and maybe talk of rehab a long time ago.  But the reality is what it is.  No matter what the union gains on this round, the transfer of wealth is money lost forever. 

All just IMO

Vs

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