Screeners in jeans: airport workers draw attention to expired contract
KAMLOOPS — It was Casual Monday at the Kamloops Airport and 41 other airports in Canada Monday (June 20) as security workers were bringing awareness to concerns over their expired contract. Workers across Canada showed up to work today in jeans, not their normal dress paints.
The security screeners are members of the United Steelworkers union and have been in negotiations for a new collective agreement for over a year. Local President Marty Gibbons spoke to the amount of screeners who have been forced to take second jobs or leave the profession all together to support themselves and their families.
“Everybody has to be security-vetted through CSIS, and ongoing vetting and ongoing training. Despite all these requirements and very important work, the average wage is around $22 an hour. We have screeners telling us they just can’t afford to be screeners. And it just seems like the federal government and the employer is tone deaf,” said Gibbons.
