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The new agreement maintains the defined benefit pension plan for current Air Canada workers.
(20 June 2011) – CAW leaders and workplace representatives of Air Canada employees have unanimously ratified the tentative agreement on pay and pensions which was reached on June 16, ending a three-day strike and 12 weeks of negotiations.
CAW president Ken Lewenza said the new agreement is an important achievement for the 3,800 CAW members at Air Canada who resisted company demands for major pension concessions.
The new agreement includes wage increases, improvements to benefits and maintains the defined benefit pension plan for current Air Canada workers. The issue of the defined benefit pension plan for new hires will be sent to a mediation process and then failing a resolve, will be sent to a jointly-chosen arbitrator. Dates have not yet been set.
"I'm inspired by the activism of Air Canada workers, not just in the time of the strike, but during the series of rallies and events that took place across the country during negotiations," said Lewenza. "They spoke up clearly in defense of good working conditions and pension security for all.”
Ratification meetings will take place this coming week right across the country, with results to be released on Monday, June 27.
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