Air Canada and its customer service and sales staff continued talking in Montreal on Monday against a midnight strike deadline.
| Air Canada customer service and sales staff are threatening to walk off the job if the airline doesn't budge on key concessions in their contract negotiations. Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press |
The company and the Canadian Auto Workers union representing 3,800 workers say they are committed to reaching a deal, but there's been no sign of an agreement. The union served a 72-hour strike notice on Friday, allowing them to walk out 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.
The strike threat throws the travel plans of thousands of Canadians unto disarray, though the airline has tried to reassure customers that it will continue to operate unimpeded.
"We're getting a lot of questions from the consumer, and we're looking for the same information the consumer is looking for," travel agent Jonathan Carroll, of itravel2000, told CBC News. "The only thing we've heard from Air Canada is, 'We have a contingency plan.' Unfortunately, that's not good enough. What we need is detail with the contingency plan."
Jamie Ross, who heads the Canadian Auto Workers local representing the workers, said the big sticking point is changes the airline has proposed to workers' pensions. Air Canada was forced into creditor protection from April 2003 to September 2004 partly because of its pension deficit.
Air Canada has downplayed the potential impact of a strike and said it will continue to operate a full schedule.
Both Fitzpatrick and Bob Chernecki of the Canadian Auto Workers union said their organizations are committed to achieving a negotiated settlement and that talks are continuing.
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