Strike could mean delays for check-in: Air Canada

POSTMEDIA NEWS

Air Canada, which runs flights from Iqaluit to Ottawa, has said it will maintain its schedule in the event of an airline strike, but travellers should prepare for long lineups and at airport check-in desks.

On Friday night, the Canadian Auto Workers union, which represents 3,800 Air Canada employees, issued a 72-hour strike notice, setting the stage for a possible work stoppage tonight if the two sides do not come to an agreement.

In a statement posted on the airline’s website on Saturday, senior vice-president Susan Welscheid said Air Canada will implement a contingency plan at airports and call centres to lessen the disruption on customers, but travellers should prepare for long lineups and delays in checking baggage.

In the statement, she encouraged customers to use self-service checkin, arrive early at the airport and avoid checking baggage if at all possible.

Both the union and the national air carrier have said they are committed to negotiating. The union, however, maintains there are still a number of important issues standing in the way of a deal.

The CAW said Air Canada was creating a “two-tier workforce” by cutting the pensions of existing members and demanding a lesser, secondary pension for new hires. The union also takes issue with Air Canada’s desire to increase its parttime workforce, which already occupies approximately 35 per cent of jobs.

A spokesperson for the CAW told Postmedia News the union was waiting for a proposal from Air Canada during the weekend.

The union has been negotiating with the national air carrier for 10 weeks.