Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 17/00) - First Air and its cargo handlers and reservation and ticket agents have reached a tentative agreement, the two sides announced Thursday.

Paul Kuhn, a cargo operations supervisor in Iqaluit who is a member of the negotiation team, said he is pleased with the results of the negotiations.

"I would say the mood was good (at negotiations)," he said.

The deal -- reached Wednesday in Ottawa -- will now go to a members' vote. It will take at least a few weeks for the estimated 325 workers who are members of Canadian Auto Workers union Local 2213 to vote on the tentative deal, Kuhn said.

"We've got people in places like Nanisivik and Gjoa Haven, it will take awhile."

Terms of the agreement, the first for this group of First Air workers, will remain confidential until CAW has obtained ratification from its members.

Negotiations began last August but broke down last month. At that time, Kuhn said workers wanted pay amounts to be raised to industry standards.

Last month News/North reported the CAW bargaining team wanted the starting wage raised from $8.78 per hour to $9.52 per hour to a maximum of $15 over a five years.

"We are confident that we have reached an agreement that our employees will consider reasonable and fair," said Jim Ballingall, First Air's vice-president of marketing and sales.