Canadian North, union reach tentative agreement

Canadian North and the union representing the airline’s customer service agents at airports and cargo offices reached a “tentative” labour agreement Sept. 10. That will be put to a ratification vote within 30 days. (FILE PHOTO)

Canadian North Inc. said Sept. 11 that a tentative agreement has been reached with the airline’s customer service agents at airports and cargo offices.

They’re represented by Unifor, the union formed last month when the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada merged to form Canada’s largest private sector union.

Negotiations were held Sept. 10, and “all outstanding items were tentatively agreed to by both parties,” a news release from the airline said.

Confidential terms of the new three-year agreement deal will go to a ratification vote among Unifor members in the next 30 days, the release said.

“Canadian North would like to thank the members of both bargaining teams for their diligence and professionalism through this collective bargaining process. All sides worked extremely hard to reach an agreement on a new contract that will maintain our competitiveness in the industry and continue to make Canadian North a leading airline in northern Canada,” the company said.

Canadian North is a member of the Norterra group of companies whose parent corporation, Norterra Inc., is owned equally by Nunasi Corp., representing the Inuit of Nunavut; and the Inuvialuit Development Corporation, representing the Inuvialuit of the western Arctic.