Airplane fuelers at Vancouver Airport were left baffled after their employer abruptly walked away from the bargaining table late last month. The bargaining team had been prepared to talk about new part-time positions that Swissport wanted to introduce for the first time. The employer, however, showed up at the bargaining table empty-handed.

“It’s their demand – and they couldn’t even show up with an outline of what they wanted,” explained Regional Vice-President Barry Tchir. “They just weren’t prepared.”

“It’s like showing up to a bank for a business loan without a business plan… without even an inkling as to what your business will do!”

After being caught with their pants down, the employer side walked away from the table, declaring an impasse. As a result, the parties will meet with a conciliator (a neutral third party) in the coming weeks to continue negotiations.

“It’s quite a bizarre situation,” remarked Tchir. “Conciliation could have been avoided had the employer just done their homework.”

“It’s pretty disheartening for employees to know that their employer doesn’t care enough about them to show up prepared.”

The bargaining team remains prepared to discuss the important issues that affect our members’ lives – their hours of work, their livelihood, their health, and their safety in the workplace. The employer might want to keep that in mind next time they head to the bargaining table.