“It’s a reward to go beyond doing what’s right,” said Richard Brown, president of Teamsters Canada Local Union 362. “I’ve personally talked to people who feel like they’re sick and shouldn’t go to work or stay in, and they’ve chosen to show up and stay just to make sure they qualify.” Earlier this year — as air traffic increased after turbulence during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic — screening officers contracted by the Canadian Aviation Security Authority (CATSA) were told about the bonus program. According to a memo sent by one company, the audit officers would receive $200 for each week they worked their full scheduled shifts. The program was set to run for 12 weeks from June 5 to this Saturday. With additional incentives of $500, employees were told they could earn up to $3,900 in bonuses. A less “lucrative” version of the program was offered last Christmas, according to the memo. Brown said the program forced workers to weigh their health against their wallets. “It’s created an atmosphere, especially right now with inflation … and people struggling,” he said. “This is a way to make extra money, so people are canceling their vacations and coming in sick.” Brown said the move is particularly disappointing because the union has been negotiating a new contract with GardaWorld since January and is seeking a pay rise. “It’s extra income that should have been applied directly to wages, rather than as a bonus for showing up when you’re wrong,” he said. Brown said the incentive masks other problems with the screening system, such as a lack of job applicants, poor staff retention and poor working conditions. Union official Richard Brown says the money used for the incentive program should have gone directly to workers’ wages. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press) CBC News reached out to CATSA for comment and statistics on program uptake, but had not received a response in time for publication. Dave Flowers is president of District 140 of the International Union of Mechanical and Aerospace Workers, which represents thousands of inspection officers in Ontario and BC. He said the bonus scheme also convinced some of his members to go to work sick. “We hope this does not lead to disease outbreaks or mistakes being made in an industry where mistakes cannot be made at the expense of the flying public,” Flowers said via email.
“There’s $200 on the line”
A CATSA official defended the bonus program when questioned last week by NDP MP Taylor Bachrach, the party’s transportation critic. Bachrach and other members of the House of Commons standing committee on transport, infrastructure and communities met to discuss the controversial ArriveCAN control application and staffing issues and flight delays at airports over the summer. Late in the meeting, Bachrach turned to CATSA’s incentive program. The committee heard that CATSA, a publicly funded Crown corporation, allows contractors to bill CATSA for program costs. “Can’t you see how that puts workers in a very difficult situation? Because basically, you wake up with a sore throat and you’re making this decision about whether to go to work and there’s $200 on the line. Isn’t that an incentive to go to work sick? » Bachrach asked Neil Parry, vice president of CATSA. Parry said that while workers who feel sick and stay home cannot participate in the incentive program for that week, they are eligible for subsequent weeks in which they meet the terms of the program and are still entitled to all of their base compensation, including paid Sick leave. “We don’t see it as an incentive to go to work sick,” he said. “They are supernumerary in this reimbursement, so it is not out of pocket in any capacity. “The incentive program is an additional bonus structure that they can take advantage of when it’s the best opportunity for them.” WATCH / CATSA official defends bonus program amid criticism
CATSA official defends bonus scheme from criticism
NDP MP Taylor Bachrach, the party’s transportation critic, questions Neil Parry, Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) vice-president of operations, about a bonus program for contract screening officers during a parliamentary committee meeting on August 19, 2022 . Parry added that CATSA trusted workers to “act professionally” if they were unwell. “They have demonstrated that for over two years during the pandemic, that they would stay home, they would be responsible,” Parry said. “When they’ve scheduled vacations, we encourage them to take them because … it’s an extremely busy environment and they’ve done a noble job under those pressures.” The program has been effective, Parry added. “Our absences across the country have gone down over the summer,” he said.
