Travelers passing through YVR, Vancouver International Airport, Sunday night were hit with extensive delays due to a shortage of security screeners that resulted in waits as long as three hours.
The delays affected both international and domestic flights, with lines extending from screening checkpoints all the way to the airport's entrance.
YVR officials said that the delays were not due to the an abnormal amount of passengers on Sunday evening. According to airport officials, YVR averaged approximately 67,000 passengers a day in the past week, and Sunday saw approximately 69,000. Rather, the delays were attributed to a "significant and unexpected staffing shortage" for Allied Universal, which the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) contracts security screening to.
Although the job action has not been confirmed as an official union action, travelers at YVR were reportedly told by security workers that the staff shortage was due to employees calling in sick because of a dispute with Allied Universal over compensation.
In a statement, CATSA confirmed the staff shortage, saying Allied Universal was "experiencing high absenteeism by screening officers" at YVR. "We are doing the best we can with the resources available," CATSA said. "We ask that passengers be patient, arrive early and be prepared for screening."
CATSA's official website also had wait times at 40 minutes or less, but many travelers took to social media to voice their frustrations with wait times that exceeded that. Despite the listed wait times, YVR recommended travelers arrive at the airport upwards of three hours before their flight. YVR's Twitter account was also actively responding to complaints Sunday evening, and tagged CATSA in multiple responses to complaints.
As of Monday morning, YVR has said security screening is "moving efficiently", but was still recommending travelers arrive at least two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights. Some travelers have said that security screenings are still slower than normal.
Concurrent Job Actions In Vancouver
This delay as the likely result of job action comes amidst an ongoing wave of job action that has occurred in British Columbia this summer. Just last month, a catering company that works at YVR called Gate Gourmet also voted in favor of job action.
Late last week, members of the Canadian Merchant Service Guild who work with Seaspan, a marine-transportation company that services the Pacific Northwest, declared job action as well. On Monday, that job action reportedly resulted in travelers aboard a cruise ship being stranded on board because of a lack of tugboat workers to help the cruise depart.
Those strikes have drawn significantly less attention than the strike the British Columbia General Employees Union (BCGEU) declared in mid-August has drawn. The strike saw picket lines at multiple BC Liquor Distribution centers, with many now concerned that the effects have trickled down and hurt the hospitality industry, and some businesses even being forced to lay of staff and temporary shut its doors.
What do all those job actions have in common? In the increasingly unaffordable city of Vancouver, they are all seeking better wages for employees.
