ALPA: Directs Resources 'To Get a Deal Now'
They're not exactly rolling in dough, but they ARE a quarter Mil
richer... Wasaya Airlines pilots now have a quarter-million dollar
grant, in addition to the world’s largest pilots union,
behind them as they pursue a fair contract with their management.
Capt. John Prater, ALPA president, announced the grant at a pilot
briefing to Wasaya pilots in Thunder Bay.
“This grant puts Wasaya management on notice that ALPA
will reject any attempt to maximize profits on the backs of
employees,” said Prater. “Our international union
stands solidly behind Wasaya pilots, and we are ready to do what is
necessary to get a respectable and viable contract.”
Funds from the grant will pay for strategic activities as the
pilot group has reached an impasse, a procedure that occurs when
progress toward collective bargaining ceases after a good faith
effort at the bargaining table. Wasaya pilots have been in
collective bargaining with their employer, Wasaya Airways LP, for
the past 18 months. The parties entered into an essential service
agreement which permits a third party conciliation and arbitration
process to determine outstanding terms and conditions of
employment.
“We have been in discussions with Wasaya management over
the past 18 months to achieve a fair and equitable contract,”
said Captain Dan Adamus, President of the ALPA Canada Board.
“The pilots of Wasaya deserve and demand an agreement that
reflects their contribution to not only the airline’s
success, but to the First Nation communities that depend on the
essential passenger and cargo services these pilots
provide.”
ALPA’s Executive Council unanimously approved the grant
from its Major Contingency Fund (MCF). The union’s Executive
Board will also vote to approve the grant in the near future. The
MCF is ALPA’s “war chest,” providing Canadian and
US pilot groups with the necessary resources to respond to threats
to their jobs and to the piloting profession.
“Wasaya pilots stand solidly behind our highly experienced
negotiating team,” said Capt. Jeff Braun, chairman of the
Wasaya unit of ALPA. “Working together puts us in the
strongest possible position to achieve the outcome we all seek--a
viable, profitable, and sustainable airline.”
Wasaya Airlines is owned by a First Nations consortium and based
in Northern Ontario with hubs in Thunder Bay and Sioux Lookout. The
airline carries food, clothing, fuel, medicine and other necessary
supplies to 25 remote communities throughout Ontario.