Sunwing union opposes Canadian carrier's plans to hire foreign pilots

The union for Sunwing Airlines pilots said it is urging Canada's government to stop a plan by the Ontario-based leisure carrier to hire foreign pilots this winter to help cope with an expected holiday travel surge. Airline industry use of foreign pilots as aviation rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic is sensitive for unions in Canada and the United States. Those unions want greater efforts to hire pilots from the airlines' home countries despite complaints of shortages. "It's a punch in the face," Barret Armann, president of the union local that represents Sunwing pilots, said of the plan to hire non-Canadian pilots, adding that Labor Minister Seamus O'Regan "needs to step in and stop this." Sunwing will apply with the government to bring in 65 pilots this winter as temporary foreign workers due partly to a "staffing issue" in the summer, according to a Unifor union local memo to pilots citing a meeting last week with airline management. Sunwing is in the midst of being acquired by Canada's second-largest carrier WestJet Airlines, owned by private equity firm Onex Corp. It was not clear whether Sunwing has started a formal process to hire foreign pilots. Sunwing did not reply to requests for comment. The memo described a job ad from Czech carrier SmartWings that said "foreign pilots will indeed work (in Canada) under our contract but be paid more than 75% of our pilots." The memo said Sunwing has available pilots in Canada.<br/>