Air Canada machinists accept new contract

TORONTO – Air Canada technical, maintenance, airport ramp and cargo personnel have accepted a new contract.

Their union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace, says the deal provides job protection to the 75-hundred workers for the next decade.

The 10-year agreement was hammered out last month.

This is the sixth agreement reached with unions representing various Air Canada employees.

It’s a marked contrast to the previous round of labour talks at Air Canada, which were among the most acrimonious in the airline’s history.

They included a 12-hour illegal walkout by baggage handlers and ground staff that disrupted flights. The federal government had to either intervene or threaten to do so on more than one occasion.