Ottawa - Reports of dangerous situations at Edmonton International Airport are on the increase, according to the union representing maintenance and service workers.

Members of the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees (UCTE), on their 14th day on the picket line, received reports yesterday of an operational incident on the runway surface. UCTE is a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).

"We are concerned," says Local Union President, Paulette Jensen, "that inexperienced employees who have been rushed through training and are unfamiliar with the airport, are putting themselves and others at great risk."

Security at the Edmonton Airport has been contracted out to a company called Initial Security who have recently added new recruits. The security vehicle reported to the Air Traffic Control Tower that it was off the runway. This indicated to the tower to use the runway for takeoffs and landings, however the vehicle was NOT off the runway and had apparently misunderstood its location. Should the airfield have been foggy and the tower not have spotted the vehicle this could have been a terrible situation. The potential for a disaster was there.

Another report indicates that Foreign Object Debris (FOD) has been accumulating on the aircraft manoeuvring surface. The maintenance staff who usually patrol the area and control this debris are on strike.

"FOD is one of the major causes of aircraft engine damage," says Mike Wing, National President of the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees, "and is usually found in the form of broken asphalt, empty containers and other litter - anything that can be sucked into an airplane engine. Our workers feel obliged to report this information to the general public. These are serious issues and should not be downplayed," added Wing.

Airline staff working out of Edmonton have expressed their concerns to picketers and the union shares those concerns.

On Tuesday of this week, the Canadian Air Traffic Control Association (CATCA), sited similar public safety concerns at the Saskatoon Airport over an incident which occurred as airport managers took over maintenance duties and failed to maintain radio contact with the Tower as they worked in an area close to an active runway. Members of the PSAC have been on strike in Saskatoon for more than three weeks.

There are no talks scheduled between the Edmonton or Saskatoon Airport Authorities and the PSAC.

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For information:

Paulette Jensen, President, Local 30315 - cell (780) 905-7439
Mike Wing, National President UCTE (613) 238-4003 - ext. 31
Lois Ross, PSAC Communications Coordinator - (613) 560-4280

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