No problems so far amid airport strike
TORONTO — Travellers heading to Canada’s busiest airport were warned that a strike by hundreds of ground crew workers could affect some flights Friday, but the labour dispute did not create any major problems for passengers.
The striking workers at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport include baggage handlers, cargo handlers, cabin cleaners, some employees who tow planes and other ground crew. Since voting overwhelmingly Thursday night to reject a deal with their employer, Swissport, the unionized workers have been walking picket lines, hoisting signs and calling for a fair contract.
Swissport services several major airlines at the airport, including Air Transat, Sunwing Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Air France, KLM and Lufthansa. Air Canada and WestJet are not serviced by Swissport.
The airport said the labour disruption could impact some flights and asked passengers to check the status of their flights.
Isaac Zonicle, a striking worker, said the labour dispute was more likely to have an effect later in the day on international flights serviced by Swissport. “This is when you’re going to need all the knowledgeable people who know what’s going on,” he said.
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority said in a statement Friday that Pearson had been running smoothly “with minimal impact” throughout the day.
Michael Peck, a passenger flying with Sunwing, an airline serviced by Swissport, said the striking workers had not made it difficult for him to get into the airport. “They did not interfere with us getting in. Everything was in order,” he said, adding that he had not heard of any major delays as a result of the labour dispute.
Asger Laursen, a passenger waiting for a flight to Copenhagen, also said he wasn’t too worried about the strike affecting his plans. “They’re just protesting,” he said, noting his airline, Icelandair, isn’t serviced by Swissport.
Alice Wolski, whose daughter was taking an Air Transat flight with six friends on Friday, said she supported the strike. She said a worker on the picket line told her about working 12-hour shifts without breaks and being denied meetings with the company to address their concerns.
Picket lines had been set up outside Pearson’s Terminal 3, as well as at a cargo terminal near Swissport’s main offices. Striking workers were allowing traffic into the cargo terminal in intervals.