Aerospace workers staged lunch-hour demonstrations across Quebec Friday against the Trump administration's decision to slap a 219 per cent tariff on Bombardier's CSeries planes.
Officials with Unifor — the union formerly known as the Canadian Auto Workers — organized the rallies at several aerospace companies, including Pratt & Whitney plants in Longueuil and Mirabel, as well as the Bombardier Finishing Centre in St. Laurent.
Union officials said they want to see the feds demonstrate the same kind of support for the workers.
“The federal government better start doing something,” said union spokesperson David Asselin. “It’s going to be a hard battle and there’s a lot of money at stake. You’re talking about billions of dollars. When these contracts are signed they go for billions of dollars. We’re not talking about small contracts here. We’re talking about huge, huge contracts, a lot of money.”
The workers didn't walk off the job — they marched on their lunch breaks.
Meanwhile, Bombardier Inc. sustained another blow Friday as the World Trade Organization formally established a panel to review CSeries subsidies, at the request of Brazil's Embraer S.A., just days after the Americans imposed the 219 per cent tariff on CSeries aircraft.