Union negotiations at Airbus in Mirabel | Union members ready to go on strike

The specter of a strike looms at Airbus Canada in Mirabel. Its 1,300 union members say they are ready to walk off the job if the aircraft manufacturer does not prove more generous in its proposals aimed at renewing the collective agreement. Despite an almost unanimous rejection of the employer’s offer on Sunday, negotiations must resume this Monday.

“We are asking the employer to be open-minded and to negotiate an employment contract of fair value,” says the union spokesperson and Quebec representative of the International Association of Machinists and Construction Workers. aerospace (AIMTA), Éric Rancourt, in a telephone interview.

In an internal bulletin intended for union members and dated March 5, Mr. Rancourt described the employer’s offer as “hostile” and “downright unacceptable.” As of Sunday, Airbus had not immediately commented on the two votes.

At the end of a meeting of approximately three hours, which took place in a hotel in Laval, the union members overwhelmingly rejected (99.6%) the Airbus offer. They also voted, 98.9%, in favor of a strike vote. The member participation rate was over 80%. This means that the IAMAW could trigger an unlimited general walkout or deploy pressure tactics as the European multinational attempts to accelerate the production rate of the A220 – essential to the profitability of this still loss-making program.

The device’s other assembly line is in Mobile, Alabama.

For union members, including mechanics, toolmakers, welders and technicians, Airbus’ offer was clearly insufficient. Their collective agreement expired on December 31. The European aircraft manufacturer is offering a three-year employment contract and salary increases totaling around 10.3%.

“These increases do not even represent the loss of purchasing power caused by inflation in recent years,” laments Mr. Rancourt.

He says many of these workers were Bombardier employees during the C Series era and made sacrifices to help the program through turbulent times. The time has come to be rewarded, says the Quebec representative of the IAMAW.

Insurance, the pension plan as well as the bridging benefit – a temporary supplement to cover the financial gap between the start of retirement and the age of 65 – are at the heart of the main issues in the negotiations.

25% owned by the Quebec state, the A220 has just turned the page on a record year in terms of orders, with 142 firm contracts while being able to increase its number of deliveries by around 30% ( 68 devices handed over to customers) last year. The production rate must nevertheless double within two years in Mirabel as well as in Mobile, Alabama, if the program is to reach the break-even point.

Any delay on the schedule risks having consequences for Quebec taxpayers, who have so far injected 1.7 billion into this program developed by Bombardier. By agreeing to remit 380 million in 2022, Quebec was able to postpone until 2030 the moment when Airbus would buy back its stake in the A220. The longer the profits are delayed, the more the amount obtained by the Quebec state risks being reduced.

Alongside the A220 production aspect, Airbus is increasing its footprint in Mirabel. The European multinational has increased hiring and has some 3,000 workers in the Laurentians. It is in the process of setting up a flight test center at its Mirabel facilities and will build a delivery center – a project announced by The Press last July – which will cost at least 45 million.