Striking ground crew at Toronto airport to vote on new offer from employer

A spokesman for Teamsters Local 419, the union representing the workers, said Tuesday that a vote approving Swissport’s new offer would end the strike.

“It’s really going to be up to (employees) to decide whether or not this offer is an improvement on the company’s first final offer — whether they finally feel listened to and respected,” said Christopher Monette.

Swissport said it extended a “memorandum of settlement” to the union on Saturday.

“We are optimistic that the majority of employees will accept the offer and look forward to welcoming them back on the job,” Pierre Payette, Swissport vice-president of operations for Toronto, said in a statement.

The offer came after a week of negotiations between Swissport and the union, Monette said, noting that federal mediators had brought both sides back to the table.

Monette said details of the latest offer won’t be released until union members finish voting at around 10 p.m. on Wednesday night.

“Really, it’s all in our members hands now,” he said.

Workers have complained of scheduling issues, a wage freeze, and a lack of respect from Swissport for their work. The union said it is also fighting benefits cuts by Swissport.

The company has said its original offer — which workers overwhelmingly rejected — was competitive in comparison to other ground-handling companies at Pearson.

Brennan Doherty, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Striking ground crew at Toronto airport to vote on new offer from employer

What's Trending