Pilots with Canada’s Porter Airlines have taken a major step toward joining the Air Line Pilots Association.
In a statement, ALPA said Porter pilots recently filed membership cards with the Canada Industrial Relations Board. The CIRB will now request a response from Porter and investigate the application, which could involve interviewing pilots about their support for unionization.
Once the CIRB completes its probe, it will decide whether to grant certification, which usually takes around 30 days. If the certification goes through, Porter pilots would immediately become part of ALPA, making them the union’s 43rd pilot group.
“Welcoming the Porter pilots into ALPA will further advance the interests of commercial airline pilots and strengthen aviation safety and security,” said ALPA President Jason Ambrosi. “If certified for ALPA representation, the Porter pilots will make our ranks more than 80,000 strong, continuing the significant growth of unionized pilots in North America.”
Porter, which has its headquarters in Toronto, is Canada’s fourth-largest airline and largest non-unionized carrier. The airline has grown significantly over the past several years, adding new routes and expanding operations at Toronto Pearson International Airport and Ottawa/Macdonald–Cartier International Airport. It now flies to 45 destinations in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and the Caribbean.
