VAUGHAN, Ont. – Locked-out workers at a Sears Canada warehouse in Vaughan, Ont., have voted to reject the latest contract offer by the company, the union representing the roughly 500 employees said Tuesday.
Flight attendants at Jazz Air LP, the regional affiliate of Air Canada, have voted overwhelmingly to support a strike mandate if their stalled talks with the airline do not progress.
The Canadian Flight Attendants Union, which represents roughly 850 employees at the airline, said 99.5 per cent of its voting membership supported the mandate in cross-country votes last week.
While the flight attendants say they would rather reach a new deal, the airline’s cabin crew could go on strike as early as June 16 if talks do not progress, the union said.
The decision follows a similar one made last week by the Air Line Pilots Association, International, which represents 1,500 Jazz pilots.
“Some Jazz flight attendants are trying to make a living on $22,000 a year,” said spokesperson Jennifer Kalmar, CFAU western vice-president, in a statement. “That’s completely unacceptable, especially for people who are responsible for passenger safety on board our aircraft.”
NSGEU president Joan Jessome says it appeared the employer was planning a lockout all along.
Halifax (1 June 2010) – Employees of Pictou County Shared Service Authority (PSSA) were locked out of their jobs when they showed up for work Monday in Stellarton.
The workers, members of Local 60A of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees’ Union (NSGEU/NUPGE), were confronted at their workplaces in Stellarton with notices on the doors and padlocks on the gates. They are seeking a first union contract.
“The way bargaining unfolded this weekend makes me wonder if the employer’s intention was to lock us out on Monday all along,” says Joan Jessome, NSGEU president.
“At 4:30 pm on Friday, with a strike deadline looming, the employer would not continue to bargain. They wouldn’t return to the bargaining table until 6 p.m. on Sunday night and by 10 p.m. they presented the NSGEU bargaining committee with their final offer and said ‘take it or leave it.’”
