Earlier this month, the Alberta Labour Relations Board released their first new applications report of February 2024. In it was a new certification application for airport workers in Calgary.
Local 2002 of Unifor filed the application with the ALRB on 1 February 2024 on behalf of all workers employed in the customer care ambassador services department at the Calgary International Airport.
Customer care ambassadors are actually not employed by the YYC. Launched in 2016, the department is technically run by Concorde Airport Services, a third-party private company that employs these 64 workers.
Founded in 1990, Concorde provides facility maintenance, building operations, and customer services at the airport in Calgary.
The customer care ambassadors, known for their trademark red uniforms, help users of the airport navigate various processes in the international terminal, including guiding them through self-service options in US Customs and Border Protection, driving them between concourses on the YYC LINK passenger shuttle system, and assisting in CBSA. They also provide information and travel counselling about airport services and amenities at InfoCentres throughout the airport.
Other Concorde workers employed at YYC are already unionized with Local 401 of the United Food and Commercial Workers.
The ALRB has scheduled a hearing for this application on 16 February 2024. During the hearing, Concorde will be able to argue why they feel the union isn’t necessary.
If the ALRB ultimately approves the certification application, then they will organize a certification vote, during which the workers will be able to democratically choose whether to join the union.
Because the ALRB doesn’t archive their new applications report, I included a copy of this report below.
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