A third employer offer was rejected on Sunday by Airbus Canada union members in Mirabel, in the Laurentians.
The agreement in principle presented to members of the local section concerned of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), affiliated with the FTQ, was rejected in a smaller proportion than the last two.
This time, 68.15% of Mirabel workers, represented by IAMAW Local 712, voted against the offer. Nearly 75% of workers were present at the meeting, or just under 1,000 union members.
In the last two months, more than 99% of them have declined two other employer offers for the renewal of their collective agreement, which expired in December.
Several aspects of the employer’s offer were still unsatisfactory according to the workers: salary increases, job security and outsourcing, as well as working hours.
“With this agreement in principle, we believed we had met the expectations of the members, but this is not the case,” declared Éric Rancourt, union spokesperson at the negotiating table and representative of IAMAW Canada for Quebec. by press release. “We will quickly contact the employer to discuss the next steps. »
According to the machinists’ union, the third offer proposed a five-year contract including salary increases of 8%, 3%, 3%, 4% and 4% per year which would have been applied retroactively from December 2, 2023.
Airbus union members in Mirabel work on A220 planes. Airbus Canada wants to make the program of these aircraft, formerly the Bombardier C Series, profitable by 2026.
Airbus Canada said it was “disappointed” with the new rejection of the agreement in principle by union members.
“We have made significant progress in recent weeks which led to an agreement in principle on April 12. We put everything on the table in terms of improving salary conditions, increasing social and retirement benefits and adding a bonus promoting knowledge sharing between our employees,” reacted Patrick Bertin, head of human resources at Airbus Canada, in a press release sent by email on Sunday.
“This element of flexibility to better balance shifts is necessary in order to increase efficiency and not put the A220 at risk, so close to our profitability target,” he added.