YVR refueling company issues 72-hour lockout notice

The company involved in a labour dispute with workers who refuel airplanes at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) has issued 72-hour lockout notice.

GlobeGround Fuel Services/Servisair said Wednesday that it intends to lock out workers at midnight on Friday, but insists there will be no disruption at the airport because it’s prepared to use managers from the company network to refuel the airplanes.

The lockout notice was issued at midnight Tuesday after negotiations with representatives of Local 20221 of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, who provide fuel services for planes using both YVR international and domestic terminals.

"We have been in negotiations with the union representing the GlobeGround Fuel Service employees in the hopes of achieving a collective agreement that is fair to our fuelers while reflecting current business conditions," the company said in a release. "We are continuing to talk through a conciliator during the 72-hour notice period in the hopes of achieving an agreement so that none of our employees are negatively impacted by this process."

It said the company cannot operate under the union’s "public threat of slowdowns and disruptions" and "as such we have provided the union with the required 72 hours notice that we intend to lock out the GlobeGround employees at 2400 hours on Friday, April 16.

It said the company would use "experienced service professionals" to refuel the airplanes.

"In order to ensure business as usual with the company, we have brought in a team of experienced service professionals who meet or exceed all required training and certification. Our customers and the travelling public can be assured that all operations will be conducted in strict compliance with all federal regulatory bodies and the procedures and safety policies of our valued customers."

GlobeGround spokesperson Karen Gordon said later that the service professionals cited in the release are all managers from the GlobeGround/Servisair network. "There will absolutely be no disruption to service," she added.

However, a union spokesman said Wednesday that she doesn’t understand why the company issued the lockout notice, adding that negotiations are at a critical stage.

"I don’t know the [employer’s] rationale," Kay Sinclair, B.C. vice-president, PSAC, said in an interview. "Negotiations are continuing, so we’re hoping to reach a tentative agreement. We think [the lockout notice] was premature, because we’re negotiating with the assistance of a conciliator and we don’t want to inconvenience the public."

Sinclair said the union hasn’t yet made a decision on whether it will issue 72-hour strike notice. "Presumably, [the lockout notice] was to get us to reach a tentative agreement. We’re certainly bargaining in good faith."

Last Friday, 73 members of Local 20221 voted 93 per cent in favour of a strike after rejecting an initial company offer, and the union warns that passengers "may face delays and slowdowns" at the airport if the talks break off.

Local 20221 vice-president Jason Salchert said in an earlier interview that talks have focused on benefits, including the establishment of a pension plan.

"We haven’t even had a chance to table our wage package," Salchert said, adding that the employer called in a conciliator after four days of negotiation. "We essentially tabled a new collective agreement and they wanted to stay with the status quo."