A Set Back For Air Canada Pilots Age 60 Retirement Rule

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A Set Back For Air Canada Pilots Age 60 Retirement Rule By Mike Mitchell

		May 9, 2011 - The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) has completely dismissed all complaints filed by 67 pilots opposed to retirement at age 60 who alleged that they had not been fairly represented by the Air Canada Pilots Association (ACPA). Air Canada pilots first negotiated through collective agreement the retirement age of 60 in 1957. However, in recent years pilots have tried to renegotiate the mandatory retirement age to age 65. Air Canada Pilots Association is the largest professional pilot group in Canada, representing the more than 3,000 pilots who operate Air Canada?s mainline fleet.

The International Civil Aviation Organization has recommended that the age limit for airline pilots be increased to 65. However, the measure is limited to two-pilot crews where the other pilot is younger than age 60. ?We have been completely exonerated by the CIRB of all charges leveled at us by the complainants,? said ACPA President Captain Paul Strachan. ?We are heartened by the judgment of this impartial body that our Association has acted in complete good faith.? In dismissing the complaint, the CIRB noted that ?the union took the complainants? claims very seriously. It conducted surveys of its membership, commissioned studies on the issue, considered the history of the mandatory retirement provision in the airline context, the existing state of the law, and the interests of the membership as a whole. The union came to a considered decision that it could not support the complainants? case. The Board is unable to find that the union?s refusal to file a grievance on behalf of the complainants was arbitrary, discriminatory or in bad faith.? ?This decision reconfirms our belief that we are on solid ground in our approach to the age of retirement issue,? Captain Strachan said. ?We believe our members? have the right to negotiate a common age of retirement through collective bargaining and we remain confident that we will overcome any legal attack on our rights.? The CIRB also found that ?It was not discriminatory for the union to determine that the complainants were not entitled, by the terms of the collective agreement, to be treated differently than any other pilot in the bargaining unit with respect to the age of retirement.?

Captain Strachan noted that the CIRB?s findings echoed what the pilots association has been saying for years. ?It is absurd to argue that Air Canada pilots are discriminating against themselves by negotiating a common age of retirement. Pilots are aware of the retirement and pension provisions when they take the job.

?They understand that a common age of retirement provides fair and equal access to career advancement opportunities. It is contradictory for those who have benefitted from these provisions throughout their careers to say it is somehow unfair that we ensure all our other members enjoy the same benefits.?

		The CIRB?s decision puts an end to the process initiated by Raymond Hall in August 2010 and may lead to other complaints being dropped. The CIRB decision also noted there were ?a number of other similar complaints currently pending? and said that ?the Board considers it appropriate to deal with this complaint in order to provide the parties with guidance for the future.? Other News Stories (For the latest news please checkout our home page) Indonesia Merpati Airlines Crashes Killing All 27 Onboard Embraer Defense Selects Advanced Avionics System For Their KC-390?s British Air Line Pilots' Association Calls On Tighter Rules On Virtual Airlines BBC Equities CEO Arrested In Scheme To Defraud Investors At JFK Airport DOT Fines Ticket Agents For Violations Of Code Share Disclosure Rules Mooney Aircraft Responds To Rumors Over Website Being Down FAA Must Have Long Term Funding GE Deploys First Public Use RNP Flight Path In Alaska Boeing Phantom Ray Completes 1st Flight Reaching 7,500 Feet Singapore Airlines Faces Delivery Delays On Boeing 787 And Airbus A350 Sikorsky Aircraft Completes Active Rotor Wind Tunnel Testing Jack Pelton Steps Down As CEO From Cessna Aircraft First Workshop To Reduce Co2 Emissions From Aviation Underway UAE General Civil Aviation Authority Reports Air Traffic Up 9% Southwest Airlines Closes Acquisition Of AirTran FAA Initiatives At Ohio Airport Compromised Under GOP And DOT Pressure Lynden Man Blinded Border Patrol Helicopter Pilot Faces Jail Time Blue Angels Bring Recruits Into The Cockpit Atlas Air Expands Into Military Passenger Charter Service Osama Bin Laden Killed By U.S. Forces FAA Make Policy Change As Part Of Air Traffic Control Review APA Supports Changes To Address Controller Fatigue Federal Agents Arrest Airline Employees In International Drug Smuggling NTSB?s Airline Accident Report Shows Need For Rest Rules For All Airline Pilots Turkey Selects Sikorsky Aircraft For 109 Black Hawk Helicopter The U.S. Government?s Case Against Boeing KaiserAir, President Receives Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award Learjet 60 XR Aircraft On Tour Of Latin America And The Caribbean Boeing GPS Operational Control Segment Enters Service With US Air Force Atlas And Polar Air Cargo Pilots To Receive Groundbreaking Contract NASA Honors Pioneer Astronaut Alan Shepard With Moon Rock