TORONTO – After more than a year of bargaining, airport security screeners in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces, represented by the United Steelworkers union (USW), are standing firm in demands for a fair contract that protects benefits and improves wages and working conditions.
The airport screeners’ employer, GardaWorld, has dragged out negotations for over a year. Rather than respecting the critical work of airport security screeners who keep travellers safe, the company has tried to cut benefits and suppress wages – all while pocketing big profits.
The screeners have voiced concern over attempts to weaken medical benefits, deny them wages that reflect the value of their work, and enduring frequent payroll errors and scheduling issues that disrupt their lives.
“Security screeners at airports in Ottawa, Northern and Southwestern Ontario, and the Atlantic provinces are showing incredible solidarity as they fight for respect,” said Kevon Stewart, USW District 6 Director.
“These workers are the first line of defence for the travelling public and they deserve better from an employer that can well afford to compensate them according to their worth. They deserve wages that keep up with inflation and strong benefits that protect their families – not rollbacks from a wealthy multinational corporation,” Stewart said.
The USW represents over 1,600 security screeners at eight airports in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces. The union will provide further updates on their negotiations as bargaining continues.
“Our members and their bargaining committee are holding firm,” Stewart said. “But this fight isn’t confined to the bargaining table. It’s in the solidarity that our members, standing shoulder to shoulder, will demonstrate as they mobilize to send a clear message to Garda that they will not settle for less.”
About the United Steelworkers union
The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic sector across Canada. It is the largest private-sector union in North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.
Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because of the union’s strong track record in creating healthier, safer and more respectful workplaces and negotiating better working conditions and fairer compensation – including good wages, benefits and pensions.
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