Air Canada pilots welcome mediation offer

OTTAWA (Reuters) -- The union representing Air Canada's pilots Tuesday welcomed a proposal by Labor Minister Claudette Bradshaw to appoint a mediator to settle its dispute with the airline. But it said it would first have to consult with members before it could accept the offer.

Capt. Raymond Hall, head of the Air Canada Pilots Association, also told reporters the union, which represents 2,200 pilots, would not call for a strike before the 10 a.m. Wednesday deadline set by Bradshaw to decide whether to take her up on the offer.

"It was an encouraging development. Our whole orientation from the very beginning is to be at the negotiating table engaging in meaningful negotiations, so if this leads us there then it's a very high likelihood the (union's) executive council would accept that," Hall said.

Hall -- speaking after Ottawa talks with Air Canada which Bradshaw had convened -- said if the union accepted the offer of a mediator it would not "work to rule," referring to a method of slowing down operations.

Negotiations over wages, pensions, job security and working conditions broke off Friday. Sunday the union rejected an Air Canada call for binding arbitration. The union must give 72 hours' notice before striking, according to Canadian labor law.

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Travelers scramble as Air Canada pilots strike
Sept. 2, 1998

Air Canada
Air Canada Pilots Association

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