Rick's Rant - Air Canada | CBC

Rick Rants about Air Canada hiring part-time permanent employees paying barely more than minimum wage. Watch The Rick Mercer Report Tuesdays at 8pm on CBC TV

About CBC: Welcome to the official YouTube channel for CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster. CBC is dedicated to creating content with original voices that inspire and entertain. Watch sneak peeks and trailers, behind the scenes footage, original web series, digital-exclusives and more.

Connect with CBC Online:

Rick's Rant - Air Canada | CBC

[Tracymmo]

My father worked for Air Canada in Cleveland, Ohio from 1967 until he was laid off in 1988. He started out on the ramp and then became a cargo agent. He loved his job, one that had a solid paycheck, augmented with overtime whenever he could get it, and health insurance, plus the bonus of some passes that allowed us to take an annual vacation. Our family of five had all the basics a family needs. As airlines started cutting corners in the 80s, he grew concerned about safety in the industry.

[TheTRAVISJUNIOR]

I am so sorry to hear your story, but from one veteran to another, I deeply thank your for your service

[WildRoseCountryGirl]

Thank you, I appreciate that and you. Take care.

[educatedrock]

its not only there its every where. Employment agencies. No pension, no benefits. 12 dollars an hour and work like a robot. Laid off for x mas because they didn't want to pay the holiday pay

[ralimba]

We will have more of this with Pierre Poilievre.

[MrJuancamaney]

RM didn't mention in this great rant about the 3, 000 jobs lost in 2012 with the collapse of Aveos (Air Canada's heavy maintenance centres) in Montreal, Vancouver and Winnipeg. These were in fact permanent, full-time and well-paid specialized technical jobs.
I'm not very good at math but 1, 100 - 3, 000 = -1, 900
So, if my basic math skills don't betray me once again, the net job gain ("loss") was actually -1, 900 (minus one thousand nine hundred) give or take a few hundred.

[WildRoseCountryGirl]

I moved from BC to Alberta for a job which ended up falling through. I drained my savings on living expenses, sold some items and I could not find another job. I have worked for 20 years, served my country for 6 years including a tour. I choked back my pride and went to see welfare, they would only help me for 1 month because I am single. If it wasn't for my lenient landlord, I would be homeless. This is Canada.

[Tracymmo]

(cont'd) Now Air Canada sounds like the worst of their competition. While the company was never perfect (when the Cleveland ramp workers were without a union in the 70s, they all got fired without notice), it provided for our family of five until dad got laid off and had to switch to pushing a broom for less money. He'd been proud of working for such an esteemed airline, and took the layoff hard. He and former coworkers still meet for coffee. Air Canada: invest in your people!

[janjohnston]

This is one of many reasons why we have boycotted air canada for years. But they are not alone - this is the new world of employment, ,, no job security, no benefits, absurd wages for workers while management take home bonuses that could get some third world countries out of poverty! Along with cuts to ui and other social services, these are hard times for Canadians.

[rethinker]

thank you rick. i may not be a ramp guy at air canada but its true. we get yelled at and all we do is load the bags we dont do much else. we do bust our asses but oh well its a job.

[verilyheld]

How come wheneverr there's a lock-out the government never orders the employer to open up?

[TheMuskokaman]

That's why I just said Fuck it!

[wcresponder]

We shouldn't tip unless the service was above or beyond the required skills and work. Unless your trying the get laid but then you aren't guaranteed anything.

[thorinbane]

yeah that must be it while sitting on 600 Billion in cash. I weep every night thinking about how those poor CEOs are having problems with their measly 11 million bonus this year, how will they explain to other corporate pigs that the dom is only the 200 variety this week. Meanwhile we have been trained to hate the person on welfare. I see little that execs do to warrant their money. OKing an underlings idea isn't work, its more like being a pimp.