Media Advisory - Airport parking lot workers to hold rally Saturday

TORONTO, May 23, 2014 /CNW/ - Parking lot workers at Toronto's Pearson Airport plan to hold a rally at the airport on Saturday afternoon to make the public aware of their struggle to get the termination pay they are owed by the company taking over the operation.

"These workers are victims of a race to the bottom that is not only seeing them lose their jobs, but the money they are owed under provincial legislation," said Cheryl Robinson, president-elect of Unifor Local 2002, which represents the workers.

The rally will be attended by members and former members of Local 2002, as well as supporters from across the labour movement. At stake is eight weeks' pay for each of the workers, as required by provincial law, in lieu of the workers being given final notification that they were losing their jobs.

Eighty Impark workers lost their jobs after the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) put out a Request for Proposals for parking at the airport, seeking the lowest bid the run the parking lots. Impark lost the contract to another company, Vinci, which only hired 27 Impark staff, leaving more than 50 people out of work.

"This Request for Proposal process is a race to the bottom. It puts people out of work and throws families into turmoil," Robinson said. "I don't think this is the kind of society most people want."

Robinson said the rally is being held to make the public aware of the situation, and to put pressure on the GTAA to compel Vinci to make the termination payments, as required under provincial law.

• What: Rally over unpaid termination pay
• Who: Members of Unifor Local 2002 and supporters
• When: Saturday, May 24, 2-4pm
• Where: Pearson Airport, Terminal 1 Parkade (Level 4), marching to the Departures Level

Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing more than 305,000 workers. It was formed Labour Day weekend 2013 when the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union merged.

SOURCE: Unifor

please contact Unifor Local 2002 President-elect Cheryl Robinson at [email protected] or (cell) 506-333-7583, or Communications National Representative Stuart Laidlaw at [email protected] or (cell) 647-385-4054.