Pearson wildcat job action leads to vacation frustration

Dozens of flights affected as airlines warn of extended disruption by refuelling workers

Airlines appear to be bracing themselves for an extended disruption after Friday’s wildcat strike by workers who refuel aircraft delayed and cancelled dozens of flights at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

As the strike continued unabated late into Friday afternoon, Air Canada issued a tweet announcing that change fees would be waived for flights on July 3, 4 and 5.

This follows an announcement earlier in the day allowing changes to Friday flights to be made without charge.

WestJet has also allowed those with July 3 flights to reschedule without penalty. Robert Palmer, a representative for the airline, said a decision regarding extending the advisory was to be made later on Friday evening.

“We are experiencing some delays and cancellations due to discussions between the airlines and the aircraft fueling company,” Pearson said on its webpage. “Please check with your airline regarding flight information before proceeding to the airport.”

Palmer told the Star that the airline has experienced “over two dozen cancellations and many more lengthy delays” as a result of the job action.

Delays of more than four hours were reported Friday morning, a disruption that persisted after most afternoon workers were absent for their shifts.

By 4 p.m. on Friday, a total of 34 out of the 56 people scheduled to work afternoon shifts did not report for work.

The Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) has ordered striking employees to return to work immediately, according to an announcement from Air Canada, although there has been no indication the job action has been stopped.

An Air Canada spokesman, Peter Fitzpatrick, said the implementation of a “flexible rebooking policy” is among several practices the company has put in place to fix the problems caused by the job action.

Aircrafts are being filled with extra fuel “so that they can get to Toronto and on to their next stop,” Fitzpatrick explained.

In addition, “departing aircraft are making technical stops,” taking off with lower than normal fuel levels and stopping to refuel along the way, in an effort to minimize the time spent refuelling at Pearson, Fitzpatrick said.

WestJet has taken similar measures, making arrangements to refuel its aircraft at other Canadian airports, a spokesman, Robert Palmer, said.

Bill Trbovich, a spokesman for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, explained that another group of workers were scheduled to come in at 9 p.m. on Friday.

The union had not received any indication those workers would not show and union officials have warned workers they are in violation of their collective agreement and can be fined, said Trbovich.

The early-shift workers who did report for work announced they will not work overtime to pick up the slack, leaving management personnel to step in to do the jobs of absent workers, Trbovich explained.

Jason Riley, 31, and his 7-year-old son, Tristan, were returning home to Swift Current, Sask. when the job action began; it was to be the first time Tristan had flown. They had been there at 7 a.m. for a10:15 flight to Regina, and now were offered a flight at 7:45 p.m. with a connection in Calgary that would reach Regina at close to midnight.

Riley felt frustration for his mother, who had driven several hours from Swift Current to meet them in Regina. She would probably dig into her own pockets to buy a hotel room in Regina rather than drive back through the night when they arrived.

“She’s been up since 5 o’clock this morning,” Riley said.

“It’s been just one chain reaction after another.”

“We didn’t get any word on the cancellation until literally right at the very last minute,” he said.

“They boarded us and had us on the plane for an hour and a half until they asked us to get off . . . About 45 minutes after that was when we got our notice that our flight was cancelled.”

Despite the inconvenience, he complimented WestJet for their handling of the situation. “When they rebooked us, they had us on opposite sides of the plane, and he’s only seven, and he’s not allowed to fly by himself, so the gentleman was nice enough to upgrade us to Calgary and then to Regina.”

Another passenger, Ross Millette, 54, was booked on the same10:15 a.m. flight to Regina — and was slated to work that night. He works three weeks on, one week off at a potash mine outside Regina and was home for a week in Port Elgin, Ont. “I’m supposed to be there at 5 o’clock,” he said.

He had no chance to reach his employer, he said; his copy of the company’s phone number was in his checked baggage. “If I don’t get out tonight, I’ll have to get in (Saturday) . . . it’s such a nuisance,” he said.

The wildcat action centres on job losses expected this fall as Consolidated Aviation Fueling of Toronto, a part of Allied Aviation (CAFTL), ends long-term contracts with workers at Pearson and Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Trbovich said.

“This morning, 60 per cent of our workers unexpectedly did not show up for work, causing disruptions for the travelling public,” read a statement from the CAFTL on Friday.

CAFTL is the exclusive supplier of into-plane commercial-aviation fuelling services at Pearson Airport. They were informed the agreement would end effective Oct. 1, after which individual air carriers would independently procure their intoplane fuelling services, said the statement.

CAFTL said that they were “also notified that their company would not be retaining a significant portion of the fuelling services at Pearson.” With files from Curtis Rush, Tamara Khandaker, Stephen Spencer Davis and Jackie Hong.