Canadian Airbus A220 workers reject ‘tentative’ agreement

Members of Airbus Canada Internationale Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) Local Lodge 712 have rejected a ‘proposed tentative agreement’, the third offer to be rejected in a series of negotiations between the union and Airbus since November 2023. The new agreement proposed a five-year contract (scheduled to run up until December 1 2028) included salary increases, retroactive to December 2 2023, alongside a variety of financial and other benefits. “We thought we’d met our members’ expectations with this tentative agreement, but that’s not the case,” explained Éric Rancourt, union spokesperson at the bargaining table and IAMAW Canada representative for Quebec. The union added that the main points ‘still in dispute’ consist of wage increases, job security and outsourcing, and work schedules. The negotiations represent the first collective agreement officially negotiated by Airbus since it acquired the programme in 2018. To date, 34 meetings have been held. This latest of three offers rejected by union workers was rejected by 99.9%. Rancourt added that IAMAW LL 712 will “be in touch with the employer shortly to discuss the next steps”. A spokesperson for Airbus noted the company were “disappointed by the rejection of this tentative agreement,” detailing how the company “submitted a new and much improved offer to the union representatives, who subsequently recommended it”. They continued: “It is crucial to emphasize that the A220 is in a particular economical situation, as the aircraft programme has not yet reached its break-even point. In order to guarantee the aircraft’s profitability in 2026, we must all show flexibility”. Patrick Bertin, head of human resources at Airbus Canada, described how the company have “put everything on the table in terms of improving salary conditions, increasing benefits and pensions, and adding a premium to foster knowledge-sharing among our employees”. He also described this flexibility as “necessary to increase efficiency and not jeopardize the A220, so close to our profitability target”. “This is a young aircraft programme, and additional efforts need to be done in order to ensure its long-term success,” he concluded. Airbus delivered a total of 68 A220s during 2023, confirming in its full-year report that the A220 production ramp-up ‘continues towards a monthly production rate of 14 aircraft in 2026’.