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Transportation Workers The Need to Compel Canadian Airlines to Fully Protect Workers and PassengersIn an April 14 press release, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Airline Division states that by refusing to immediately compel Canadian airlines to fully comply with the COVID-19 guidance to protect airline workers, especially with regard to personal protective equipment for the crews, the federal government is complicit in endangering the safety of these workers and the traveling public. The statement recalls than on April 6, CUPE Airline Division local and component presidents wrote a joint letter to Transport Minister Marc Garneau and Labour Minister Filomena Tassi asking them to step in to force airlines to provide flight attendants with the full personal protective equipment (PPE) they need to do their jobs safely.
To date, no answer has been received. The press release says that for months the CUPE Airline Division has been saying that the lack of sufficient PPE is endangering its members' safety on the job. "Airlines in Canada are making progress, but not enough. For the health and safety of our members and the traveling public, the federal government must get involved now," said CUPE Airline Division President Julie Roberts. The statement reports that since March 15 there have been over 300 flights in Canada with confirmed COVID-19 travelers, resulting in at least 60 confirmed cases of infection of CUPE members. Over 2,000 flight attendants across Canada are, or have been, in isolation after working on flights with infected passengers on board. Among the minimal standards that should be imposed by the federal government to the airlines, the CUPE division says: - Reducing physical contact between flight attendants and passengers and in-flight service items is critical. - Non-essential in-flight service to passengers needs to be minimized. Flight attendants should only be interacting with passengers for urgent matters such as medical or security situations. - There must be increased availability of PPE, including medical grade gloves, long-sleeve isolation gowns, N95 masks and face shields for every flight attendant - Airlines must properly stock every flight with adequate disinfectant and potable water, and properly disinfect every plane after every flight. - Airlines or airports should have specially trained personnel assigned to do the pre-flight screening of passengers for COVID-19 symptoms. CUPE's Airline Division has more than 15,000 flight attendants in its ranks. They work at Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, Air Transat, Sunwing, CALM Air, Canadian North, WestJet, WestJet Encore, Flair Air, Swoop, Cathay Pacific, First Air, Air Georgian and PAL Airlines.
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The
letter of April 6 also asked the ministers to act to uphold the health
and safety laws and enforce the basic health and safety rights of
flight attendants, including their right to refuse dangerous work.