New employment contract | Tough negotiations at Bombardier in Dorval

Negotiations break down between Bombardier and some 1,800 of its Quebec union members still without a contract of employment, who accuse the aircraft manufacturer of rejecting “almost all” of their wage demands in addition to demanding “significant setbacks” of “several million” .

Julien Arsenault
The Press

After meetings that proved unsuccessful on the wage issue, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) decided to give an overview of the negotiations to its members, Wednesday, in a bulletin that La Presse has could consult.

“On March 15, the employer informed us that it was rejecting almost all of the union’s demands concerning wage clauses, write business agent Éric Rancourt and vice-president of local 712 Christian Bernard. The latter rather hopes to obtain significant setbacks (several million over three years). »

However, no details are provided on the demands of the two parties.

This union outing comes a few hours before a speech to be delivered by the president and CEO of Bombardier, Éric Martel, before the Council on International Relations of Montreal (CORIM) on Wednesday. In particular, it must address the “financial recovery” of the company.

The 1,800 members involved in the negotiations assemble Challenger business jets in Dorval and also work in Bombardier facilities in the Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent, where parts such as the Global 7500 cockpit are manufactured.

They have been without a contract since December 4.

In the context, the IAMAW intends to ask the employer to present a “global offer” on the salary clauses which will then be presented to its members.

“You have done your part during the pandemic and the difficult financial period that Bombardier has experienced in recent years, is it written in the bulletin. Now that things are looking up, it’s time to acknowledge your sacrifices. »

Last July, activities at Bombardier’s Toronto Downsview plant were disrupted by a walkout lasting a few days. The company had reached an agreement with Unifor, which represented about 1,200 employees who assemble the Global family of aircraft.

Exclusively refocused on business jets, the aircraft manufacturer took advantage of the pandemic, since luxury private jets were popular with the ultra-rich to get around. This has allowed Bombardier to inflate its order book and to consider an increase in the production rate next year.

In a sign that things are looking up at Bombardier, the company also posted profits in the fourth quarter which ended on December 31