Edmonton, May 4, 2010 -- After a 26 month struggle,  225 taxicab drivers, dispatchers and curb supervisors voted overwhelmingly in favour a first Contract with Teamsters Local 987.  In a vote of 160 - 2, the employees of Airport Taxi Service, who work exclusively transporting passengers from the Edmonton International Airport to Edmonton and Northern Alberta, sent a resounding message to their employer that they fully support the Teamsters as their bargaining agent, and accepted their first Contract.

Certification was confirmed April 2, 2009 after overcoming many obstacles and legal challenges launched by the employer, with ratification on April 18, 2010.

“Landmark decisions from the Alberta Labour Relations Board aided our pursuit of certification” observed David Froelich, Secretary Treasurer of Local 987, “when the Alberta Labour Relations Board first ruled the taxi drivers were “employees” for the purposes of the Labour Code, contrary to Airport Taxi Service’s claim the drivers were owner operators.”  The Labour Board also revisited a time-honoured decision by the Supreme Court of Canada, the 1980 Yellow Cab decision, that long hindered the successful organizing of taxi drivers, and ruled that employer control should play a bigger role in determining “employee” status.

The employer then challenged this decision and applied for a judicial review of the Alberta Labour Relations Board decision.  Further hearings at the Court of Queen’s Bench in Edmonton resulted in a further decision upholding the Teamsters’ position and dismissed the employer’s application.


The Teamsters Union represents 125,000 members in Canada in all trades. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, with which Teamsters Canada is affiliated, has 1.4 million members in North America.

Information:
Dave Froelich, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local Union 987
403-252-7843