Support for striking Porter fuel handlers at Island airport

Bill Freeman –

At 3:00 on Sunday afternoon (February 10, 2013) a group of 200 or more community residents and union activists meet at the corner of Bathurst and Queen’s Quay to support the Porter fuel handlers who are out on strike at the Island Airport. Despite the cold and the foot of snow on the ground, it was a spirited crowd.

The event began with a few speeches by union leaders pledging their support to the strikers. They explained that the union had taken Porter to the labour board for unfair practices. The most serious infraction was the illegal use of scabs. A decision will come down next week and the union is hopeful that they can win the case.
The most moving presentation came when two representatives of the fuel hander strikers came to the microphone. They explained that their most serious complaints about Porter were safety and working conditions but wages were also an issue.
•    The fuel handlers worked around high octane jet fuel. For months they requested flame retardant gloves and overalls but never received them.
•    Workers assigned to look after smaller aircraft often were required to work alone despite the fact that they were the least experienced and the work was the most dangerous. One worker in this situation sustained a serious injury from a fall and no one was there to help him.
•    Fuel often spilled on the ground and the cleanup was inadequate.
•    The workers are paid $12.00 an hour, much lower than other fuel handlers in the industry. This is about $27,000 a year.
Because of these grievances the fuel handlers formed a union. In the ensuing negotiations with Porter the company agreed to all of their demands around safety and working conditions, but they were not implemented before the workers walked off the job. On the issue of wages the company offered $0.25 an hour increase. The workers were not satisfied and they struck.
It was the wage issue that infuriated many of the people at the rally. There were calls that this was “poverty wages!” and “pay a living wage!” Sid Ryan, the president of the Ontario Federation of Labour, who spoke at the rally, made the point that Porter was a marginal employer making profits by paying low wages.
Kat Exner spoke on behalf of the community and she did a great job laying out the grievances of the community such as pollution, noise, the disruptions from the construction and the constant problems with traffic that endangered the safety of children going to school and other members of the community. She pointed out that city and community demands for speed bumps on Eireann Quay to slow the traffic has been met by the Toronto Port Authority with a law suit.
After the speeches the group marched down Eireann Quay to the city side terminal. For well over an hour they occupied the street, banging drums, flying flags defiantly and refusing to let traffic pass. They were a militant crowd, demonstrating that they were not about to be intimidated by Porter or the Toronto Port Authority. At least 25 members of the police department showed up to protect TPA property.
This could well be a key strike that determines Porter’s future. The company has resisted efforts to unionize employees and pay decent wages. If the union prevails and other employees become unionized it will raise costs. The analysis by CommunityAIR is that Porter remains a very marginal operation and this may be enough to push them to a financial crisis.
Regardless, we believe that Porter must be a responsible employer by paying its employees decent wages and ensuring that they work in a safe environment, safe for the workers and safe for all members of the community.