Wednesday March 6, 2019
For Immediate Release
Ottawa, ON – For the second time in less than a week, the IAM has won starting wage rates of $15.00 from a service company at Ottawa International Airport. The members of IAM Local Lodge 2413 have ratified a new three-year collective agreement with Menzies Aviation Canada Ltd.
“This raises the floor of wages at the Ottawa Airport period,” said an elated IAM Transportation District Lodge 140 General Chairperson Mike Corrado. “This matches the bar set earlier last week with Swissport and will bring $15 and Fairness to their respective workplaces. None of our members in two competing companies now earns less than $15.00 an hour and that’s substantially more than starting wage of the industry leader Air Canada.”
Most members at Menzies Ottawa will be receiving an immediate year one wage increase of between 4.8 percent to 6.7 per cent as well as wage increases of between 9.8 per cent to 11.7 per cent over the life of the three-year agreement. Even our over scale members will be receiving at least 2.5 per cent annual wage increases.
“Like the Swissport agreement, the Menzies agreement ensures that the various pieces of legislation contained in Bills C86 and C63 will be contained in this CBA,” explained Corrado. “This means that no politician can take it away by overturning the legislation with the stroke of a pen like Doug Ford did to Bill 148 in Ontario.” Other agreement highlights include:
- Ramp leads premium increased to $2.85 per hour
- Part-time members will now be entitled to wage increases much quicker than before
- Improved Statutory Holidays and Stat pay
- Improved vacation time, IAM members with five years or more service will now be entitled to three weeks’ vacation
- Improvements to probationary and seniority system
- Improved meal breaks and rest periods
- Improved shift bidding process
- Improved expedited arbitration procedure language
- Process for correcting payroll errors was improved
“This is a double header victory as most companies at the Ottawa airport start at or pretty close to the minimum wage of $14.00 an hour,” said Corrado. “This is a very clear message to non-union workers at the Ottawa Airport, if you want better wages and benefits, get unionized, join the IAM.”
“This momentum of the Federal Fight for 15 & Fairness is like a tornado, it’s continually gathering speed,” said Corrado. “We’re going to ride this momentum into the next round of bargaining with Menzies at Toronto Pearson Airport.”
The IAM is the largest union in Canada’s air transport sector.
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For further information:
Michael Corrado – IAM Transportation District Lodge 140 General Chairperson
905-671-3192/416-407-6535
Bill Trbovich – IAM Director of Communications
416-386-1789 Ext#31/416-735-9765
