AC Rampies walk off the job

Rockie · Post by **Rockie** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:39 am

Time will tell how long they stay out...this time. But if the company and government think legislating workers back to work and imposing a draconian contract will somehow translate to labour peace they are making a massive error in judgement.

Had the government let the negotiation process unfold as it's supposed to there would be freely negotiated contracts in place by now and none of this would be happening.

Sheer stupidity and madness.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/201 ... ldcat.html

EA757 · Post by **EA757** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 7:10 am

My take on this, is simply that Air Canada has the power
to take away employees rights to free speech.

These employees expressed their opinion about Lisa,
and were suspended for doing so...

To me that is a clear violation of their rights.

After all, they own the building that Lisa works in, the office that she is allowed to use, the parliament that she is allowed into. These ramp people own her, and she just isn't bright enough to know it...

But, what this boils down to is simply that Lisa knows her days a numbered and that she fully expects to be placed on the Board of Directors with Air Canada when she is turfed from government...

ogc · Post by **ogc** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 7:21 am

Im waiting for someone to get arrested...

Honestly, I think its going to happen shortly.

Then this has gone from ridiculous to downright scary.

Rockie · Post by **Rockie** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 7:27 am

ogc wrote:Im waiting for someone to get arrested...

Air Canada needs to IMMEDIATELY get back to the table with the rampies before that happens. One of the YUL guys was just on saying they've been ordered back but are giving the company one hour to do so or they'll walk again. I doubt neither the company or the government want news footage of workers being forcibly, and possibly violently denied their democratic right to strike.

This is a powder keg with the fuse lit.

North Shore · Post by **North Shore** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 7:31 am

...to downright stupid. I wonder what this is doing for future bookings for AC (and WJ and JAzz, for that matter.) I have to fly 1/2 way across the country next week in order to get to my job. When I booked back in February, there was the glimmer of labour unrest @ AC on the horizon. Did i want the inconvenience/stress/hassle of a.) worrying about a strike happening, or b.) having it happen while I am in transit, and getting stuck in an airport somewhere? No, so I went with the competition, even though it wasn't really a convenient time slot and, IIRC, more expensive..
With wildcats breaking out, customers will stay away, and a certain percentage will never come back.

accumulous · Post by **accumulous** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 7:40 am

North Shore wrote:...to downright stupid. I wonder what this is doing for future bookings for AC (and WJ and JAzz, for that matter.) I have to fly 1/2 way across the country next week in order to get to my job. When I booked back in February, there was the glimmer of labour unrest @ AC on the horizon. Did i want the inconvenience/stress/hassle of a.) worrying about a strike happening, or b.) having it happen while I am in transit, and getting stuck in an airport somewhere? No, so I went with the competition, even though it wasn't really a convenient time slot and, IIRC, more expensive..
With wildcats breaking out, customers will stay away, and a certain percentage will never come back.

Just a few wild guesses. Big fines and firings. The public has clearly had enough of AC. This will cost AC a fortune. Wouldn't be any surprise to see the carrier sold/dissolved/assets distributed/possibly re-emerge as another entity/whatever. Any miniscule iota of goodwill the carrier had left, the employees just vaporized it into the atmosphere. If AC ever needed a reason for plan B, they just got it.

ogc · Post by **ogc** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 7:42 am

North Shore wrote:...to downright stupid. I wonder what this is doing for future bookings for AC (and WJ and JAzz, for that matter.) I have to fly 1/2 way across the country next week in order to get to my job. When I booked back in February, there was the glimmer of labour unrest @ AC on the horizon. Did i want the inconvenience/stress/hassle of a.) worrying about a strike happening, or b.) having it happen while I am in transit, and getting stuck in an airport somewhere? No, so I went with the competition, even though it wasn't really a convenient time slot and, IIRC, more expensive..
With wildcats breaking out, customers will stay away, and a certain percentage will never come back.

Oh i agree, a few of my family members were booking flights recently I encouraged them to do the same as you.

Im just wondering what the end game is at the moment. I look at the various scenarios and all I can consistently come up with is a CCAA filing at some point.

vortac · Post by **vortac** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 7:45 am

One article I read speculated that this all started when Lisa The Rat was walking through the terminal and started to recieve a sarcastic thank you clap from various employees giving the stink eye.

These days, everyone feels like a herd of sheep being led to the water by just about anyone in a position of power.

I saw this coming when the conservatives started their rise many years ago. I never understood why people would vote for a government that seemed intent to ruin our peace keeping reputation, reconnect with the useless UK monarchy, destroy a free border, see to it that bruital murder is punishable by a sentence that is over in a couple years, and destroy labor relations laws that protected and brought prosperity to the citizens of Cabada for decades.

A bunch of wanna-be conservative Republicans trying make us into a former America. They'll get us there... With all the added baggage and reputation Americans gave themselves.

For those that voted for them, you got what you were too ignorant to realize would happen. Now it hits close to home.

Rockie · Post by **Rockie** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 7:46 am

North Shore wrote:With wildcats breaking out, customers will stay away, and a certain percentage will never come back.

I agree. Right to strike in labour law provides a level of certainty and structure to resolve labour disputes with the minimum disruption. It provides focus for both parties to get an agreement acceptable to both sides which results in success 98% of the time with no disruption in service.

Take that away and anarchy is the sure result because this isn't the 1800's. Enforced servitude went out a long time ago when smart people recognized giving worker's rights and a voice was good for everybody. This retarded, regressive government doesn't believe in worker's rights, and this greedy company is only too eager to take advantage of that.

This all would have been over relatively cleanly and quickly if Harper had just let the process carry on the way history has proven works.

EA757 · Post by **EA757** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 7:54 am

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20 ... on-120323/

accumulous · Post by **accumulous** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 7:57 am

ogc wrote:
North Shore wrote:...to downright stupid. I wonder what this is doing for future bookings for AC (and WJ and JAzz, for that matter.) I have to fly 1/2 way across the country next week in order to get to my job. When I booked back in February, there was the glimmer of labour unrest @ AC on the horizon. Did i want the inconvenience/stress/hassle of a.) worrying about a strike happening, or b.) having it happen while I am in transit, and getting stuck in an airport somewhere? No, so I went with the competition, even though it wasn't really a convenient time slot and, IIRC, more expensive..
With wildcats breaking out, customers will stay away, and a certain percentage will never come back.
Oh i agree, a few of my family members were booking flights recently I encouraged them to do the same as you.

Im just wondering what the end game is at the moment. I look at the various scenarios and all I can consistently come up with is a CCAA filing at some point.

CCAA is a likely scenario at the very least. A wildcat strike was probably the very last nail. Once you fry what's left of your public customer base in an act like this, it wouldn't be any surprise if they already have the new fuselage colors all picked out for what's going to be left of this shell after the dust settles. There's a good chance the ball is rolling now and that's the end of it.

ogopogo · Post by **ogopogo** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 8:00 am

I'm a million-miler with AC but just booked WJA for next week's trip.

I just can't afford the risk.

vortac · Post by **vortac** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 8:11 am

ogopogo wrote:I'm a million-miler with AC but just booked WJA for next week's trip. I just can't afford the risk.

Congratulations.
Maybe Harper & Lisa can force you to fly with AC, for the best interests of the Canadian economy.

Rockie · Post by **Rockie** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 8:23 am

ogopogo wrote:I'm a million-miler with AC but just booked WJA for next week's trip. I just can't afford the risk.

Please send a note to Calin Rovinescu and tell him that.

CanadianEh · Post by **CanadianEh** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 8:52 am

You know what's funny, I bet all the money that AC is losing/will continue to lose because of their demoralized and unmotivated workforce would have more than covered the employee demands.

This is poor management 101.

accumulous · Post by **accumulous** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 8:58 am

CanadianEh wrote:You know what's funny, I bet all the money that AC is losing/will continue to lose because of their demoralized and unmotivated workforce would have more than covered the employee demands.

This is poor management 101.

The airline wins international awards so it's not management. It's a mass of recalcitrant employees sending the pax to WJ. Keep an eye on their load factors. The B787's won't be far behind. That'll be the first domino.

flying4dollars · Post by **flying4dollars** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 9:11 am

http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/air- ... t-strike-1

Robert Tudor, an Air Canada retiree and a resident of Waterloo, Ont., spoke with CBC News at Pearson.

"It's very sad to see the decline," he said. "When I was a kid, they'd give you little plastic airplanes and lifesavers and all kinds of goodies just for the excitement of flying. Now it's just a very sad business, and frustrating for everyone."

"Everyone just wants cheap, cheap, cheap. They don't realize the investment in buildings, the investment in people, the investment in airplanes, maintaining the airplanes — it's expensive," he said. "The only place they can get a nickel or a dime is out of the workers' pockets."

So true, so sad.

CanadianEh · Post by **CanadianEh** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 9:16 am

accumulous wrote:
CanadianEh wrote:You know what's funny, I bet all the money that AC is losing/will continue to lose because of their demoralized and unmotivated workforce would have more than covered the employee demands.

This is poor management 101.
The airline wins international awards so it's not management. It's a mass of recalcitrant employees sending the pax to WJ. Keep an eye on their load factors. The B787's won't be far behind. That'll be the first domino.

First of all, the awards they win are usually out of North American carriers (ie: Best International Airline in North America). Air Canada is simply the best of the worst here in North America. And it's not management that wins the awards for the company, it's the hard working front line employees who go above and beyond for such an ungrateful company.

Second, isn't the role of management to carry out organizational objectives through their workforce?

If you don't think Air Canada's problems are due to bad management and our dictatorship of a government then you are stupid. Corporate culture starts from the top, just look at Westjet.

If you want to treat your workforce like garbage and as though they are a nuisance, they will reciprocate the treatment.

Mig29 · Post by **Mig29** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 9:19 am

EA757 wrote:My take on this, is simply that Air Canada has the power
to take away employees rights to free speech.

These employees expressed their opinion about Lisa,
and were suspended for doing so...

To me that is a clear violation of their rights.

After all, they own the building that Lisa works in, the office that she is allowed to use, the parliament that she is allowed into. These ramp people own her, and she just isn't bright enough to know it...

But, what this boils down to is simply that Lisa knows her days a numbered and that she fully expects to be placed on the Board of Directors with Air Canada when she is turfed from government...

That's what many politicians seem to forget....Once they walk in that Parliament or Senate they get the idea that God does not exist anymore.

accumulous wrote:Im just wondering what the end game is at the moment. I look at the various scenarios and all I can consistently come up with is a CCAA filing at some point.

And all this time, I'm wondering if AC didn't "bank" on all this anger and media attention to force it's way into CCAA No2? Could this be their plan A all along??

Mig29 · Post by **Mig29** » Fri Mar 23, 2012 9:20 am

CanadianEh wrote:
If you don't think Air Canada's problems are due to bad management and our dictatorship of a government then you are stupid. Corporate culture starts from the top, just look at Westjet.

If you want to treat your workforce like garbage and as though they are a nuisance, they will reciprocate the treatment.

Exactly!

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