ALPA Canada Statement on Bill C-39 Announcement
OTTAWA, Ont.—Captain Tim Perry, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) Canada, issued the following statement after the Government of Canada proposed sweeping changes to the Canada Labour Code that would impact workers’ rights.
“In Bill C-39, some effort was clearly made by the government to incentivize good-faith bargaining and collective agreements reached at the bargaining table.
“The proposed legislation includes measures unions have stood for that will improve certain worker protections, including progress on successor rights in aviation, protections against wage theft, and funding for both the Canada Industrial Relations Board and health and safety inspectors.
“However, there are some significant problems.
“The Supreme Court of Canada recognizes that the Constitution protects the right to strike. While the government claims it will not infringe on the right to strike, Bill C-39 affords too much power to the Minister of Labour, and the exceptionally broad concept of National Interest is ill-defined, meaning this legislation will, in effect, disenfranchise Canadians from exercising their constitutional rights.
“Flight disruptions are never a desired outcome for any pilot or our passengers. However, the potential for workers to withhold their labour is essential to constructive collective bargaining.
“Mandated mediation as part of the bargaining process can be valuable under certain circumstances, and we have no issue with being held to a high standard; however, appointing a special mediator and publicly filing their report as the legislation proposes may, in fact, disincentivize employers from taking the process as seriously as it deserves, and invite a degree of theatre that is not constructive.
“Through this legislation, the Government seems to be suggesting that being a union member and being on “Team Canada” are mutually exclusive, when in fact strong workers' rights will build “Canada Strong”.
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the world's largest airline pilot union and represents more than 80,000 pilots at 42 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit ALPA.org or follow us on X @ALPAPilots.
CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703-481-4440 or Media@alpa.org
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