Nearly 3,000 screening officers at Toronto Pearson airport rejected a tentative agreement with their employer Garda World Security on Friday, putting the possibility of a strike back on the table.
The Canadian Airport Workers Union — representing the screening officers at Canada’s largest airport — confirmed that 95 per cent of the 2,862 workers who cast their ballot voted against the tentative contract reached June 21.
The union said it hopes to be back at the bargaining table as soon as possible and is awaiting a response from the company.
“A strike is still on the table,” said Artan Milaj, president of the Canadian Airport Workers Union.
The workers “deserve better,” Milaj added. “They deserve better wages and better benefits.”
Garda World in an email said the company is “committed to reaching a mutually beneficial agreement that addresses the needs and concerns of all parties.”
Earlier in June the screening officers voted to approve a strike mandate if a new contract cannot be reached. The bargaining process began on May 31.
Garda World is a private company contracted by The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) the Crown corporation responsible for passenger and baggage screening and screening airport workers. The company says it “employs more than 5,000 high skilled screening officers.”
When asked how a strike would impact operations at Pearson, CATSA in an email said it “has confidence in Garda and the union to negotiate fairly and amicably towards the successful conclusion of a collective agreement, and avoid any inconvenience or impacts to the travelling public.”
In 2011, a work-to-rule protest by Garda World’s security screening officers at Pearson wreaked havoc on flight schedules and led to five-hour-long passenger lineups and cancelled flights.
Garda World at the time suspended 74 screening officers for the “illegal work slowdown” after winning an injunction barring workers from slowing down on the job.
The Canadian travel industry is grappling with a wave of worker discontent that threatens to disrupt summer travel plans, with experts forecasting labour disputes to continue for at least another year. More than 9,000 border service workers employed by the federal government threatened to strike earlier in June and Air Canada pilots are also seeking better wages in the coming months.
This is a developing story.
