Motion to Study Situation of Airport Drivers on Strike Passes
OTTAWA, March 08, 2011:
Member of Parliament for Brampton-Springdale, Dr. Ruby Dhalla, recently joined her Liberal colleagues to present a motion at the House of
Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities to
request a study regarding the current situation between the drivers of
airport limousines at the Toronto Pearson Airport, the McIntosh Group of
Companies
and the Greater Toronto Airport Authority.
Despite significant opposition by Conservative MPs on the Committee the
motion
asking for the study was successfully passed.
“It is unfortunate that the Conservative Government and Conservative MP's on
the committee have refused to support a motion to help drivers who have been
on strike for many months. It is unacceptable for the Conservatives to
ignore the
plight and plea of the drivers” said Dhalla.Since December 1, 2010 airport limousine drivers have unfortunately been
locked out by its employer, the McIntosh Group of Companies after the
company refused to release provincial license plate stickers due to the
allegations by the driver’s of unfair business practices. The allegations
by the drivers include:
• mandatory purchase of the car from the employer at highly inflated
prices,
• mandatory transfer of the ownership to the employer without any
confirmation of paperwork;
• mandatory purchase of insurance from the employer without receipt of
a policy that sets out premiums, coverage, or limitations and
• payment of grossly inflated sums of money for permit and dispatch
fees
“This lockout has jeopardized the livelihoods of over 200 drivers and their
families, many of which live in my riding of Brampton-Springdale. In
addition it has resulted in the disruption of service and lengthy wait times
for transportation for travellers. It is my hope that this study by a
parliamentary committee will result in a positive outcome and provide an
opportunity to improve transportation services at one of the busiest
airports in Canada,” said Dhalla.
In addition to raising this issue in Parliament Dr. Dhalla has also written
to the Federal Minister of Transportation, Chuck Strahl and both the Federal
and Provincial Ministers of Labour requesting that the urgent matter be
immediately rectified.
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Dhalla supports Airport Drivers in Labour Dispute
OTTAWA, March, 07, 2011
Member of Parliament for Brampton-Springdale, Dr. Ruby Dhalla, joined her Liberal colleagues to present a motion at the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Committee to request a study regarding the current situation between the drivers of airport limousines for the Toronto Pearson Airport, the McIntosh Group of Companies and the Greater Toronto Airport Authority.
Since December 1, 2010 airport limousine drivers have unfortunately been locked out by its employer, the McIntosh Group of Companies after the company refused to release provincial license plate stickers due to the allegations by the driver’s of unfair business practices. The allegations by the drivers include:
- mandatory purchase of the car from the employer at highly inflated prices,
- mandatory transfer of the ownership to the employer without any confirmation of paperwork;
- mandatory purchase of insurance from the employer without receipt of a policy that sets out premiums, coverage, or limitations and
- payment of grossly inflated sums of money for permit and dispatch fees
“This lockout has jeopardized the livelihoods of over 200 drivers and their families, many of which live in my riding of Brampton-Springdale. In addition it has resulted in the disruption of service and lengthy wait times for transportation for travellers. It is my hope that these studies will result in a positive outcome and provide an opportunity to improve transportation services at one of the busiest airports in Canada,” said Dhalla.
In addition to raising this issue in Parliament Dr. Dhalla has also written to the Federal Minister of Transportation, Chuck Strahl and both the Federal and Provincial Ministers of Labour requesting that the urgent matter be rectified.
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Chuck Strahl Minister of Transport
Greater Toronto Airport Authority December 8th, 2010 --Mr. Speaker, of course the Greater Toronto Airport Authority is a stand-alone agency that has considerable independence from the federal government, as it should.
If the hon. member wants to give me some specific ideas, I could pass those along, but we do not interfere in the operation of the airport authority. It has the needed independence to do its jobs
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 Gurbax Malhi Bramalea—Gore—Malton, ON
Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Transport.Since December 1, drivers working at Pearson Airport for limousine provider Macintosh have been protesting their employer's alleged unfair and improper business practices, such as the mandatory purchase of vehicles and insurance from the company at inflated prices.What immediate action will the minister take to ensure that the Greater Toronto Airport Authority conducts an investigation and takes appropriate ACTION?
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200 limousine drivers locked out of their jobs in Toronto, following a labour dispute
Dec. 08, 2010
Sant Prakash
More than 200 limousine drivers, mostly NRIs who work out of Pearson International Airport in Malton, have been locked out of their jobs since Wednesday, Dec. 01. The drivers said:
- The Macintosh Group of Companies that own the limousine operation, refuses to give them provincial licence plate stickers so they can't legally operate their vehicles.
- The drivers are forced to purchase vehicles from the company for more than their market value.
- They are also forced to purchase overpriced insurance through the company.
Ken Lewenza, president of the CAW union hat represents the drivers said, We’re now entering one of the busiest travel seasons of the year and it’s critical that we reach a first collective agreement for this group of workers. The company held back the stickers after negotiations for a first contract broke down.
The drivers met Bramalea-Gore-Malton MP Gurbax Singh Malhi in Malton:
The drivers, who are picketing the offices of the Toronto-based company, met Bramalea-Gore-Malton MP Gurbax Singh Malhi in Malton to proceed the matter to the federal government's attention.Gurbax Singh Malhi sent a letter to Chuck Strahl, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and Lloyd McCoomb, president of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority. He is urging them to ensure an investigation is conducted into allegations of unfair and improper business practices on the part of the Macintosh Group of Companies that own the limousine operation.
Toronto Pearson International Airport is located in the City of Mississauga, 14.0 mile, northwest of Downtown Toronto. Toronto that is home to 8.1 million people, about 25% of Canada's population. It is amongst the Top 35 busiest airports, the world's 20th busiest airport by international passenger traffic and 18th busiest airport by aircraft movements, with 76 airlines providing service on routes to over 150 international destinations throughout. In 2006, the airport was selected as the best global airport by the UK-based Institute of Transport Management.
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