CALGARY, Jul 25, 2008 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) ----Air Canada has recently decided to close two flight attendant bases in Halifax and Winnipeg and terminate hundreds of jobs. While the Calgary base is as yet untouched by these cuts and closures, local leadership wishes to show solidarity with affected workers, as well as raise questions about the fate of Air Canada employees in Alberta.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents the company's flight attendants, has organized national action against these cuts on Monday, July 28th.

"Once these closures happen, we're going to be the smallest base in the country," said CUPE Local 4095 President Claire Renaud. "Members are seeing these layoffs happen in other cities, and it makes them feel vulnerable to the company's whims themselves."

These cuts are expected to have a huge impact on passengers, employees, their families and ultimately on their communities. The decision to make these cuts was based on a viability study that Air Canada has refused to share with CUPE.

"Four years ago, flight attendants took a 13.5% pay cut to protect Air Canada's viability," said CUPE Alberta President D'Arcy Lanovaz. "While last year, Robert Milton, President and CEO of ACE Aviation, earned a $1.2 million salary, a $3.9 million bonus plus $11.2 million in stock option gains from Air Canada. It's not surprising that our members are feeling frustrated by this employer."

"Thousands of people have joined us to lobby federal officials," Renaud. "Our rally on Monday will be a great chance for members to get informed and show support for affected flight attendants right across the country.

On July 10th, Air Canada management notified flight attendants that they are "redundant" and "surplus" and would be laid off in November. Potentially, 600 of the union's 7,200 members could be affected by the company's action.

Support rallies will take place across Canada simultaneously in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver on Monday.

CALGARY EVENT:

Monday, July 28, 2008

10 AM - Calgary Airport

Delta Hotel

Marie Wright Room on the Mezzanine Level

 << Note: Flight attendants will be available for interviews. Visit http://www.cupealberta.ab.ca
   regularly! BACKGROUND - The company plans to cut attendant bases in Winnipeg and Halifax, leaving bases in Vancouver, Toronto,
   Calgary and Montreal. The threatened layoffs would affect about 144 CUPE flight attendants in Winnipeg and another 187 in
   Halifax, plus 300 others in Vancouver. - Air Canada has requested an exemption from the requirements of the Canada Labour
   Code - sections 214 to 226, Division IX, Part III. These provisions allow for workers to address their concerns when there
   are major layoffs proposed by an employer. Federal Minister Jean- Pierre Blackburn has notified the parties involved that
   he will investigate this request and will rule on it by July 30th. The union has argued that there is no justification for
   the exemption. - Politicians have been asked to write to Minister of Labour to intervene on behalf of the Air Canada employees.
   Already letters have gone from a number of MPs and thousands of e- mails have been sent from the travelling public. - The
   union requested the 'base viability study' that Air Canada conducted after they decided to close the two attendant bases.
   The company has claimed the attendant bases are no longer needed by the airline. The airline has refused to release the results
   of this secret study. - The airline was fully privatized in 1989. In 2000, Air Canada acquired Canadian Airlines International.
   The largest private sector owner of the airline is ACE Aerospace Holdings, of Toronto. - Last year, Robert Milton, President
   and CEO of ACE Aviation earned a $1.2 million salary, a $3.9 million bonus and $11.2 million in stock option gains from Air
   Canada. He posted $23.1 million in option gains since ACE was created in October of 2004, after Air Canada exited bankruptcy
   protection. - During two rounds of court-ordered bargaining in 2003 and 2004 when Air Canada was in bankruptcy protection,
   flight attendants took a 13.5% wage cut as well as significant benefit cuts. - After Air Canada acquired Canadian Airlines
   in 2000, the flight attendant workforce of 8,500 was cut to 7,200 today - a loss of 1,300 positions. The current plan to layoff
   about 600 flight attendants will reduce the number working for Air Canada to about 6,600. - The Winnipeg flight attendant
   base is the oldest for the airline. Trans-Canada Air Line was started in 1937 and the Winnipeg base was the first established
   for flight attendants. >> 

SOURCE: CANADIAN UNION OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

Claire Renaud, 4095 President,
   (403) 870-1779, (403) 221-2625; D'Arcy Lanovaz, Alberta Division President, (403) 861-5235 

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