The Fight for Airport Workers' Health and
Safety
Working Conditions at Toronto's Pearson Airport Must Improve!
Toronto Airport Workers Council is joined in its May Day rally, May 1,
2019 by delegations of
airport workers from around the world.
Airport workers and their organizations from Britain,
Canada, Indonesia, south Korea, Thailand and the USA recently gathered
in Toronto to discuss problems facing airport workers around the world.
They met during the week in conjunction with the annual Day of Mourning
on April 28, for workers killed, injured and sickened from
conditions at their workplace, and May Day, the International Day of
Unity and Struggle of Workers to Uphold Their Rights and Dignity.
Airport workers at Toronto's Pearson airport have established a
tradition to mark both important days with actions with analysis.
The International Transport Federation organized the
gathering of airport workers during the week. The Federation connects
transport workers' unions from 147 countries. One of the biggest
concerns discussed was airport workers' health and safety.
May 1, 2019 final session of airport workers organizing event before
May Day rally.
The Toronto Airport Workers' Council, which represents
workers from six unions as well as non-union workers at Pearson
Airport, took part in the meetings. The participants shared their
experiences with all in attendance and expressed the urgent need to
improve working conditions at Pearson Airport.[1]
"We were able to find out through some of the workshops
that we participated in that the three top issues are outsourcing,
including contract flipping, wages, with low wages a problem at all of
their airports, and health and safety," said Dan Janssen, co-leader of
the Toronto Airport Workers' Council and Vice-President of IAMAW Local
2323,
speaking to Workers' Forum.[2]
"Health and safety of airport workers is a big issue
around the world, especially since such a race to the bottom is taking
place," he added. "When you outsource a labour force, what ends up
happening is that wages are often lowered and working conditions also
end up going down. We thought it was important to bring everybody
together in
one space to talk about how we can tackle these common issues. A start
is by bringing awareness of them. So we are planning an action
September 1 at Toronto Pearson International Airport to bring attention
to these issues, and we are asking workers at other airports around the
world to hold an action on the same day, which is the Sunday before
Labour Day. It is important that we show that we are all in this
together, all airport workers, that it is a global movement for better
working conditions."
Group photo, April 30, 2019 of airport workers attending airport
workers' organizing event.
Increase of Lost-Time Injuries at Pearson Airport
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) 2018
Annual Report indicates a 7.8 per cent yearly increase in lost-time
injuries at Pearson Airport over 2017.
 Dan Janssen spoke to Workers'
Forum regarding this situation:
"This is a 7.8 per cent increase. It is considerable and
it has affected over 180 workers. What we have been doing at the
Toronto Airport Workers' Council in order to tackle with the issues is
to think outside the box. For a number of years now we have been asking
the Toronto Airport to meet with airport workers and health and safety
reps
together in the same room so that we can have conversations and talk
about safety culture.
"The Airport Authority finally agreed in the fall of
last year and we had our first Toronto Pearson Workers' Safety Forum in
January. At that meeting, there were 12 union reps, two from each of
the unions that are represented on the Toronto Airport Workers'
Council, as well as various managers from the airport authority, all
dealing with
airport safety.
"We pointed out what is happening in the workplace that
has an impact on workers' safety: an increased pressure to perform, the
amount of hours that workers are working, the multiple jobs that they
are working. We also identified air quality as an issue in our
airports. Ramp workers in particular are exposed to some pretty bad
air, the air
created by jet fuel, for example, or from the ground support equipment
that we are using. So far, we have only had two Toronto Pearson
Workers' Health and Safety Forums and it feels that we are heading in
the right direction."
The Toronto Airport Workers' Council at Pearson Airport
is waging a campaign to defend and improve the health and safety of
airport workers by changing the working conditions for the better.
Janssen said, "When workers are treated well at the work
place, when they are paid well, when they do not need to work multiple
jobs, and have conditions that support a healthy work environment, you
are going to have a safe environment as well.
"When you are a contract worker, especially for those
where it is a three year tender, and you are coming up to your third
year, your stress increases because you are worrying about what is
going to happen to your wages and your benefits when the next contract
is re-tendered. Are you going to end up with a brand new employer,
brand new
uniform, doing exactly the same job for lower wages? We need protection
in the Canada Labour Code for
workers when a contract is retendered.
That protection needs to be in place for wages, benefits, pensions, so
that workers do not have that stress hanging over their heads.
Otherwise priority cannot be on the safety of the aircraft, the
passengers, and the workers. We have all these conditions of contract
work at Pearson Airport. Working conditions at Pearson Airport have to
improve!"
Korean airport workers speak at organizing event in Toronto, April 29,
2019. One of the major issues they are organizing against is
contracting out of jobs.
Notes
1. The six unions that are
represented on the Toronto Airport Workers' Council are Unifor, the
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW),
Teamsters Local Union 419, Public Service Alliance of Canada-Customs
and Immigration Union (PSAC-CIU), Canadian
Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and Services Employees International
Union (SEIU).
2. Contract flipping is a
regressive practice of employers to award contracts to a new service
provider every few years. Workers lose their jobs and must then
re-apply, almost always losing any wage increases, seniority and
benefits earned with their previous employer.
This article was published in
Number 19 - May 23, 2019
Article Link:
The Fight for Airport Workers' Health and
Safety: Working Conditions at Toronto's Pearson Airport Must Improve!
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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