Baggage handlers' strike disrupts Air Canada flights
Canadian airline baggage handlers walked out on strike Friday despite a government ban on the labor action, forcing Air Canada to cancel or delay dozens of flights.
"Due to illegal work action by Air Canada ground handling employees in Toronto and Montreal, Air Canada is experiencing delays and some cancellations of flights departing Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and Montreal Trudeau Airport (YUL) this morning," the nation's biggest airline said in a travel advisory on its website.
The Canadian parliament approved a bill last week, introduced by the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, that prohibits Air Canada employees from participating in the strike.
Unions representing mechanics, baggage handlers, cargo agents and pilots dispute the validity of the law.
An unusually high number of pilots claimed sick leave last weekend, which disrupted dozens of Air Canada flights. The airline responded by trying to enforce its work rules against "illegal strikes."
(Photo of Air Canada by BriYYZ via Flickr)