HALIFAX, NS – At a series of ratification meetings held Thursday, April 12, Commissionaires who work at Halifax’s Stanfield International Airport voted to accept a tentative agreement reached between the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the employer, Commissionaires Nova Scotia.
“We are proud of this achievement,” says Jeannie Baldwin, Regional Executive Vice-President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. “It was long-fought and hard-won.”
The 175 members of Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) local 85100 are employed by Commissionaires Nova Scotia (CNS) to provide security, ground transportation and parking services at the airport.
The agreement outlines improvements in the areas of Management Rights, Discipline and Discharge, Holidays, and Grievance and Arbitration. Modest economic increases were achieved retroactive to January 1, 2011. The agreement expires at the end of 2014.
Many commissionaires are veterans (military, police and RCMP), or members of veterans’ families. Their specialized skills in the security field are integral to airport operations and the safety of the traveling public.
“The gains contained in this agreement reflect the important work we do, and are a move in the right direction,” says Local President Miles States. “It’s hard for veterans to get the respect we deserve.”
The agreement was reached with the assistance of federal mediator Barney Dobbin. Commissionaires had been without a collective agreement since January 2011.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada is a national union with over 180,000 members. Local 85100 is one of the union’s many Directly Chartered Locals.
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Contact Lesley Thompson, Communications Officer, PSAC, 902-471-6201
The site for the Halifax local of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.
