Canadian flight attendants perform "information picket"
Their activities will not disrupt flights or airport operations.
On Tuesday, there were flight attendants rallies at four major airports in Canada. The reason was unfair working conditions. The union CUPE, which unites about 18,500 flight attendants, claims that employees work most of the time for free.
To raise the issue CUPE flight attendants gathered at Vancouver International, Calgary International Airport, Toronto-Pearson, and Montreal-Trudeau to raise their voices.
"We get paid pretty much anytime the plane's in motion. So anytime you're required to show up in uniform, we're just asking to be paid for that. All the safety-related stuff, all the service preparation, boarding, deplaning, waits … all that kind of stuff. When you show up in uniform, you should be proud to wear that uniform knowing you're being compensated," said Wesley Lesosky, a flight attendant with Air Canada and president of CUPE's airline division.
Nevertheless, the protesters stated that their protest would not affect the company's work. They call it an "information picket". Their goal is to draw public attention to the problem and to get management to reconsider the status quo. WestJet Company said in a statement that they respect the rights of their employees to protest.
A spokesman for Air Transat, whose employees are also picketing, said the company is offering a compensatory hourly rate "in line with current industry standards".
This protest has nothing to do with the mass state workers' protests across Canada. For more than a month now, employees of many departments have been demanding pay raises. These protests have slowed down many services, including the Department of Immigration. So far, about 155,000 people are participating in the protest.
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