The head of the Air Canada pilots union says she含羞草研究社檒l step down if members opt not to approve a tentative deal with the airline, raising the stakes as aviators mull whether to accept hefty salary gains or drive an even harder bargain.
Charlene Hudy, who chairs the Air Canada contingent of the Air Line Pilots Association, told her fellow employees in a virtual townhall Friday that she 含羞草研究社渨ill have no choice but to resign含羞草研究社� if they vote down the would-be contract.
含羞草研究社淚f the membership votes no to this (tentative agreement), it would clearly indicate to the public, media, government and company that I no longer speak on your behalf,含羞草研究社� she said in a question-and-answer session that followed the online gathering. The Canadian Press has obtained a copy of her statement and confirmed it with two pilots.
含羞草研究社淚f I stayed, it would be to your detriment,含羞草研究社� Hudy said.
The contract, reached last weekend after more than a year of negotiations, averted a strike that would have seen some 670 flight cancellations and 110,000 passengers affected daily.
The deal would grant the carrier含羞草研究社檚 5,400 pilots a cumulative wage hike of nearly 42 per cent over four years. The increase outstrips major gains won last year by pilots at the three biggest U.S. airlines, where pay bumps ranged between 34 and 40 per cent 含羞草研究社� albeit starting from a higher baseline.
Despite the big top-line figure, the agreement has faced scrutiny from some pilots, particularly more recent recruits who are unimpressed with the ongoing pay gap between newer employees and their more experienced colleagues.
Warnings about resignation by union officials are not unheard of and aim to drive home the merits of a tentative deal, says Michael Bjorge, who teaches history at Dalhousie University with a specialization industrial relations.
含羞草研究社淥ftentimes in bargaining, especially when people have been at the table for a significant period of time, they just say, 含羞草研究社榯his is the best we can get含羞草研究社� and they often honestly believe that,含羞草研究社� Bjorge said.
含羞草研究社淚n reality, of course, you never really know what you can get until you push to the maximum.含羞草研究社�
Under their current contract, pilots earn far less in their first four years at the company before enjoying a big wage hike starting in year five.
Some employees had been pushing to fully scrap the so-called 含羞草研究社渇ixed rate含羞草研究社� provision, where earnings stay flat regardless of the type of aircraft flown. (Typically, wages increase with the size of the plane.) But the proposed deal announced on Sept. 15 would merely cut the four-year period of lower pay to two years, according to a copy of the contract obtained by The Canadian Press.
Even in years three and four, wages would be substantially lower than in year five. The hourly rate jumps by nearly 40 per cent in the fifth year, a far greater leap than in any other period, the agreement shows.
On the assumption that pilots work roughly 75 hours per month 含羞草研究社� a common baseline in the industry 含羞草研究社� newer recruits would earn between $75,700 and $134,000 versus almost $187,000 in year five, and more than $367,000 for an experienced captain flying a Boeing 777.
Experts say well over a third of the carrier含羞草研究社檚 roughly 5,200 active pilots may earn entry-level wages following a recent hiring surge. Many come on board after lengthy careers at other airlines, rather than straight out of flight school.
Provisions around scheduling and quality of life will also factor into pilots含羞草研究社� considerations ahead of a ratification vote, poised to take place in the coming weeks.
含羞草研究社淏y the time they first start working, it含羞草研究社檚 often the time they含羞草研究社檙e having children. So if mom or dad含羞草研究社檚 going to be gone for significant periods of time, that含羞草研究社檚 really hard on families,含羞草研究社� Bjorge said.
