Manitoba

Union, Winnipeg airport still at bargaining table as strike deadline looms

The Winnipeg Airports Authority is still at the negotiating table this afternoon.

Picket line could go up at 3 a.m.

About 150 employees could go on strike at 3 a.m. Monday, July 24. (CBC)

The Winnipeg Airports Authority is still at the negotiating table Sunday afternoon.

It received a strike notice late Thursday night from the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees (UCTE), affiliated with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).

If they don't reach a deal by 3 a.m., there will be a strike.

A spokesperson for the union said that both sides are working hard to get a deal. 

"They're at the table as we speak," said Thomas Linner, regional communications officer for the Public Service Alliance.

But if a settlement isn't reached by 3 a.m., then the strike action is still set. 

A post on the Public Service Alliance Facebook page suggested a picket line could be up within moments of the strike becoming official. 

Approximately 150 employees are in the affected bargaining unit, including duty managers, administrative workers, various tradespeople, IT workers, airfield maintenance and labourers. 

They have been without a contract since June 30, 2016, and have been in negotiations since last October.

Tyler MacAfee, director of public affairs for the Winnipeg Airports Authority, said it's important people know that a strike wouldn't shut down the airport. 

"Either way, the airport is open in the morning, normal operations," he said.