Air Canada pilots reschedule vote on tentative agreement

Air Canada Pilots Association (ACPA) has rescheduled (02-May-2011) the ratification vote on its tentative agreement with the airline, which will commence on 09-May-2011 and run for ten days. An earlier vote set in Apr-2011 was cancelled after some pilots raised concerns with the proposed agreement. ACPA stated "Air Canada refused to consider any changes to the tentative deal, so the pilots Association will hold a democratic vote to determine whether the agreement will be ratified". Air Canada Pilots Association (ACPA) membership also voted on 01-May-2011 to recall their Chairman Capt. Bruce White in response to his decision to send a new tentative agreement out for ratification despite stiff opposition from the union's membership (Financial Post/Post Media News/Global and Mail/The Canadian Press, 01/02-May-2011). In a vote held over the past two weeks, 80% of the ballots cast by ACPA's membership were in favour of the motion to remove Capt. White as chairman of the union's master executive council (MEC) with roughly 83% of the pilots casting a ballot. In all, 67% of the eligible voters cast a ballot in favour of the recall motion. ACPA has also filed a grievance against Air Canada over its new service from Toronto Island, according to union spokesman, Paul Howard. Mr Howard said that while the new tentative agreement would allow the new service operated by Sky Regional Airlines Inc, the current contract does not. [more]