Toronto, ON – The IAM has successfully fought off a raid of Toronto Airport’s IAM Screeners by the Canadian Airport Workers Union (CAWU).
“This was an attack on IAM members by a rogue union that was looking to Raid our membership at IAM Local 2921,” said IAM Canadian General Vice President Stan Pickthall. “Our IAM organizing team worked very hard on this campaign, and educated our membership on the value of a legitimate trade union with the resources and infrastructure to represent them at the bargaining table and in the workplace.”
The 20-page Canada Industrial Relations Board report stated, ‘(67) The Board finds that the irregularities found in the course of its investigation into membership evidence filed by the CAWU are sufficient to put into question the reliability of all the membership evidence submitted in support of the application for certification, such that the Board is not prepared to rely on it to order a representation vote. Accordingly, the board has decided to dismiss the CAWU’s application for certification.’
The CAWU is a union that currently has no members, having lost their last bargaining unit in early 2016. They came after IAM Screeners at Toronto’s Pearson and Billy Bishop airports during the contract negotiations the IAM bargaining committee was undertaking. “This was a huge distraction during a crucial time,” said Pickthall. “The CAWU performed a great disservice to the members they were seeking to raid away from us. It is clear that the best interests of Toronto Screeners was not their priority.”
“With this raid now behind them, the parties can get back to the bargaining table and focus on achieving a fair Collective Agreement for the membership,” added IAM Transportation District Lodge 140 President and Directing General Chairperson Fred Hospes.
The IAM is the largest airport screeners union in Canada.
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