Air canada wants to challenge outsourcing ruling

[fruitloops]

http://www.rcinet.ca/en/2016/01/05/air- ... ng-ruling/
and
http://www.ibtimes.com.au/air-canada-mo ... da-1499368

By Lynn Desjardins | english@rcinet.ca
Tuesday 5 January, 2016

Air Canada wants to appeal a court ruling about its obligation to keep revision and maintenance centres in Canada, reports the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. The airline was publicly owned until 1988. When it was privatized, the law obliged it to keep maintenance operations in the Canadian provinces of Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba.

Two courts have agreed with the Quebec government that the airline breached this legal obligation on maintenance. Air Canada argued it continued to conduct aircraft maintenance inside the country, even though heavy maintenance was transferred abroad.

Union ‘disappointed’

Quebec sued Air Canada after the maintenance company Aveos Fleet Performance closed in 2012, says Canadian Press. About 2,600 employees were laid off. It won the initial case and a subsequent appeal.

Air Canada is now asking the Supreme Court to overturn the decision. The union representing maintenance workers says it is “disappointing to see Air Canada fight this battle” and that the airline is making the return of maintenance jobs as complex and difficult as possible.

[Raymond Hall]

http://www.scc-csc.ca/case-dossier/info ... ?cas=36791

Air Canada v. Attorney General of Quebec, et al.

(Quebec) (Civil) (By Leave)

The application was accepted by the SCC on January 5th. It will be at least a month before the pleadings are closed. The other parties must be given time to respond.

Then at least three months before the case is placed before a panel of three judges of the Court to decide if leave will be granted. An average of only one out of eleven applications has been granted over the course of the last 10 years. If leave is not granted, the case ends there. In order for leave to be granted, the case must be found to be one of significant national importance, and it must raise a point of law that merits the attention of the SCC.

If leave is granted, it takes an average of another eight months for the hearing to be scheduled, then probably at least two months for the ultimate decision to be rendered. Very, very rarely the SCC will issue a decision from the bench (i.e. immediately), but that is the exception. Almost invariably, decisions are reserved, and are not rendered for months afterwards.

[Nivin17]

law obliged it to keep maintenance operations in?the Canadian provinces of Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba.
Two courts have agreed with the Quebec government that the airline breached this legal obligation on maintenance. Air Canada argued it continued to conduct aircraft maintenance inside the country, even though heavy maintenance was transferred abroad.

[bcflyer]

This whole thing is ridiculous. Why t is AC the only airline that is legally required to do their maintence etc at specific bases? Everyone else can outsource if they want. The Act is outdated and should be cancelled.

[BMLtech]

This whole thing is ridiculous. Why t is AC the only airline that is legally required to do their maintence etc at specific bases? Everyone else can outsource if they want. The Act is outdated and should be cancelled.

Yes, I agree. In fact, to make Air Canada more cost competitive, they should be allowed to move the head office off-shore, set up flight attendant base in the Philippines, and a pilot base in Bangalore. That along with registering all of the aircraft in Liberia should allow them to compete on an even playing field with the ME3. We would have the best national airline ever.

[av8ts]

I think just having them follow the same rules as other Canadian airlines will do but thanks for the silly rant.

[BMLtech]

Yes silly I know but perhaps you can explain if you do not need a Canadian AME license to sign out heavy maintenance activities on an Air Canada jet, then why do you need a Canadian ATPL to fly one?

[mbav8r]

I know that was directed at av8ts however the CARs require a Canadian ATPL to operate a C reg airplane, as for maintenance I believe all that is required is for the AMO to be approved.
I'll say this, there have been foreign pilots flying C reg airplanes and a fight was launched by individuals and ALPA, etc..
If you want AC heavy maintenance in Canada, you'll need to change the rules and then it will apply to all equally, no other airline in Canada has this restriction and there is a lot more at stake than the maintenance jobs that were lost, as sad at that is.

[BMLtech]

I understand the argument for level playing field, etc. It's easy to lose sight of why the ACPPA was enacted into law when AC was privatized, one reason being to ensure that the taxpayer continued to see some return on their massive investment in the company since 1937, in the form of good jobs for the Canadian economy. I wonder if the company would have been privatized had it been known at the time that they would move their heavy and engine maintenance out of the country,as well as countless administrative and other jobs? Who will be next to be outsourced off shore in the interest of cost competitiveness? As an aside, I think the cost advantage of moving the maintenance has now been largely diminished with the current state of the loonie. The heavy maintenance operation became non-competitive when our dollar approached par with the US. It was said that in the 1990's, the third party maintenance contracts that AC had with other airlines allowed them to do their own maintenance almost for free. Now we have the ridiculous situation where the company pays to heat and maintain empty hangars,and airplanes are ferried halfway around the world. The aviation-related jobs are gone, but there are still a few good millwright and electrician jobs, because buildings are harder to move.Rant over.

[BMLtech]

In any case, this legal proceeding appears to be over:
http://business.financialpost.com/news/ ... n-province

[BMLtech]

maybe not over after all...
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/ ... 25391.html

[PJ1]

BML tech its over move on, who wants to be a AME anyway,

[BMLtech]

BML tech its over move on, who wants to be a AME anyway,

Some AME's miss the zombie inspired 24/7/365 work schedules, esteemed and competent management colleagues, the never ending glory of the responsibility, and most of all, some of the other high caliber AME's they used to work with, some of whom have been reduced to working in excrement to feed their families....a sad state of affairs..

[PJ1]

Yes financially its a real tough go feeding the family, maybe when this center of excellence opens I will apply for a drone bench job
building flux capacitors.

[BMLtech]

Time to break out the popcorn:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-o ... e29529326/

A billion seems like a nice round number...

[HiLo]

Yes silly I know but perhaps you can explain if you do not need a Canadian AME license to sign out heavy maintenance activities on an Air Canada jet, then why do you need a Canadian ATPL to fly one?

Because what would happen when ACA needs maintenance at DXB or LHR?

[atpilot]

This whole thing is ridiculous. Why t is AC the only airline that is legally required to do their maintence etc at specific bases? Everyone else can outsource if they want. The Act is outdated and should be cancelled.

Yes, I agree. In fact, to make Air Canada more cost competitive, they should be allowed to move the head office off-shore, set up flight attendant base in the Philippines, and a pilot base in Bangalore. That along with registering all of the aircraft in Liberia should allow them to compete on an even playing field with the ME3. We would have the best national airline ever.

Sounds like a cruise line start up. Lol.

[gopi]

Union ‘disappointed’

Quebec sued Air Canada after the maintenance company Aveos Fleet Performance closed in 2012, says Canadian Press. About 2,600 employees were laid off. It won the initial case and a subsequent appeal.

Air Canada is now asking the Supreme Court to overturn the decision. The union representing maintenance workers says it is “disappointing to see Air Canada fight this battle” and that the airline is making the return of maintenance jobs as complex and difficult as possible.