IAM - IAM 2797 - Servisair Lockout - Lockout History
This document gives an overview of what happened leading up to the lockout of members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local Lodge 2797 (IAM) by Servisair on April 1st, 2009 in the Halifax Robert L. Stanfield International Airport.. It also describes concerns IAM members have had all along and during the lockout itself.
Servisair is an aviation ground handling company who boast that they operate in over 140 airports around worldwide. Halifax Robert L. Stanfield International Airport (Stanfield International) located in Enfield, Nova Scotia, which is just outside of Halifax, is one of these airports. The IATA code for Halifax Robert L. Stanfield International Airport is YHZ.
In Stanfield International, Servisair is used by many airlines including, but not limited to, Westjet, Sunwing, Air Transat, Canjet, Skyservice, Miami Air and Porter.
The degree to which Servisair is utilized by any particular airline varies. Some airlines, like Westjet, hire Servisair to work with the aircraft's landing needs and luggage but use their own passenger service staff. Most airlines hire Servisair to handle every last detail of its presence in the airport other than fly the plane.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is a trade union that has been around since 1888 and in the present time represents approximately 730,000 people.
Local Lodge 2797 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers represents the employees at many of the businesses that operate in Stanfield International Airport. Other local lodges of the IAM represent other employees in the same airport. Local Lodge 2797 membership includes the employees of Servisair in Stanfield International Airport
In this airport, the IAM represents ramp attendants, passenger service agents, groomers and ground service equipment matiancne personnel.
Ramp Attendants marshal in planes (guys with those orange wands directing the planes), sort, load and unload luggage, service water and waste needs of the aircrafts, de-ice aircraft and operate a variety of specialized aviation related vehicles and safety equipment.
Passenger Service Agents (Pax agents) check-in passengers, prepare a variety of paperwork for flights, board and deboard passengers on aircraft, assist passengers with disabilities, manage the whereabouts of air crews, calculate weight and balance measurements for aircraft and track missing baggage.
Groomers clean the interior of planes, usually in very rushed circumstances.
Ground service equipment mechanics mataine the specialized land vehicles used to service the airplanes.
In June of 2008, the contract between Servisair (the company) and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (the union) ended. Despite the anxiousness of both members of the union and the company negotiations for a new contract could not be scheduled until November of 2008.
The union polled 99% of its members as to their desires for a new contract and parsed this information into a proposal for the company. We admitted to the very impractical items that only a single person requested and did not discuss them much in the negotiating room.
The first round of negotiations seemed normal and cordial for the vast majority of the time. The union proposed many things in order to allow the company to have some flexibility and was upfront about the fact we did not expect everything to be granted. After discussing all the points the company stated that there was so much to work on that they needed more time to digest the information and come back with an offer. The union agreed that it was allot to work on and in the early afternoon of the third day of the three days agreed upon for negotiations the out of town contingent of the company negotiating team flew left for a flight home.
A new negotiating date was set for very late November of 2008. Upon meeting the company advised us that they had no offer. They wanted us to resign the old agreement and insisted that we had to because if we did not a competitor of Servisair would come in and steal the Westjet contract. They stated that the Halifax, Montreal and St. John's contracts were now tied together and there was no possibler way to obtain the contract if Halifax did not re-sign the previous agreement for one year. The union negotiating team rejected the offer.
In early 2009, then Servisair Canada CEO Steve Smith came to Halifax and spoke to some of the employees. He stressed how important it was that we agree to the old contract but also accept a one year wage freeze. It was clearly stated and emphasized by the company that the rejection of a wage freeze will mean the loss of Westjet's business in Halifax, Montreal and St. John's. The company asked that we call everyone at home and ask if they would reconsider their position. Almost all of the members were advised at home by telephone of the information the company wanted passed on and asked their thoughts. Over 90% wanted to continue to reject the company's offers.
A few days latter the company announced that they had gotten the Westjet contract for Halifax and St. John's.
A few weeks into 2009 the company hired a record number of new employees in a very uncharacteristic action for Servisair. They started these new employees at $9.00 an hour and di not adjust the wage of the employee who had been there for sometime who were started at $8.40 an hour.
Eventually the union took a vote that resulted in the 77.7% of the members voting. The vote rejected the offer by 100% and gave a strike mandate of 100%. This strike mandate was a mandate, allowing us to threaten to strike or actually strike if we decided it was for the best. However, we first entered conciliation talks mediated by the government. We did not enter a strike at any point in time.
After spending some time with a government mediator, the company made an offer that would give a small fraction of the employees a one time bonus, a smaller bonus to all employees who were still with the company at the end of 2009, ignored all of proposals that cost the company nothing and kept salaries at pace that barely keeps up with minimum wage. The bonuses were tied to the Consumer Price Index which could not be predicted with certainty, but did look to be heading to a very low point by the time the bonuses would be issued.
The offer, entitled "Best and Final Offer" was rejected by the union negotiating team.
As aviation is a very heavily regulated industry, the federal government will be glad to provide conciliation and mediation services during times of contract negotiations between trade unions and companies operating at airport. We entered into conciliation and thus became subject to certain rules set by the government. Our mediator, a helpful fellow named Murray, advised that 72 hour notice must be given for either a strike or a lockout and that neither can occur before April 1st, 2009.
The union booked a meeting room at a hotel next to the airport where our members work. Our intent was discuss the situation and decide what we want to do or not want to do. The meeting date was April 1st, 2009.
On Friday, March 27th, 2009 the company issued letters to each of the employees in the passenger service department, except the their shop steward and posted an identical letter on a bulletin board road by the ramp attendants. A copy of the letter was eventually given to the pax shop steward when the question "What letter?" was asked by said steward. The letter stated that the company expected a labour dispute and asked employees to cross the picket line and furthermore to tell the company in advance that you intended to fulfil this request. In addition the letter stated that employees working during the dispute would be working under the terms of the company's "Best Offer".
During the course of that weekend management held meetings with employees without union representatives present and threatened a shop steward using corporate new speak to essentially say that the company would sue the shop steward if he said anything the company did not want him to say. Despite our laws and knowing the union would not return without rectifying such things, the company continued its now a few week long policy of threatening probationary employees with a firing if they did strike or did not cross a picket line during a lockout.
On Sunday, March 29th, 2009 at noon Servisair notified the union that they would be locked out on April 1st, 2009. Servisair employees the claims are all supervisors and managers started flying into Halifax around this time.
Union member showing up for work on April 1st, 2009 well before noon were denied access to their lunch room, personal property, or their work. One was escorted off the premises despite offering to go peacefully and not causing any disturbance while at work.
The company officially removed all previous offers around the time the lockout notice was given.
In the very early days of the lockout the Passenger Service Supervisor has made threats against some pax agents which she said would be carried out when we return to work.
At this time, the company has removed our benefits package and demanded we accept a two year wage freeze which starts new employees at $9.00. Minimum wage in Nova Scotia will exceed this well before a two year time line expires. The company currently demands we come back to work and agree to do whatever they ask.
More than a week has past. Few of us can afford to be locked out and none of us can afford to go back under the current demands. Several of our members depend on the medical benefits. The threatened pax agents cannot return without protection. None of us can continue to work the horrendously long hours and very few can keep going with this kind of pay. With things the way they are, this will inevitably happen again. Despite wanting to be back to work the company has put us in a position where we simply cannot return.
Servisair has yet to contact the union for discussions. We await the company to come to the negotiating table and our business agent is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
UPDATE: We have a meeting scheuled with the company hosted by our government mediator for Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 It seems the press releases and political pressure have done wonders.
A document describing in more detail the proposals of the union and the offers made by the company will be created within the next day and posted here. Thank you for your patience.
In the meantime, feel free to contact shop steward John McKenzie to find out more.