Union claims Toronto employer had no authority to conduct interview
When a Pearson International Airport screening officer was summoned to meet with the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority following a security incident, his employer gave him an ultimatum: attend without union representation or face indefinite unpaid suspension.
The threat came after the union refused to participate, claiming the federal regulator had no authority to conduct the interview.
In a decision issued Nov. 24, 2025, Arbitrator Derek L. Rogers ruled that while the employer's conduct may constitute coercion, the union overstepped by trying to challenge the government agency's statutory powers through a workplace grievance.
GardaWorld Security Screening Inc., a contractor authorized by CATSA to perform security screening at Canadian airports, had already disciplined the screening officer with a one-day suspension for the security breach. When CATSA subsequently scheduled its own investigation meeting, the Canadian Airport Workers Union took a hard line.
Union representatives told the employer they considered such meetings contrary to both the collective agreement and CATSA's statutory authority, and would not attend.
GardaWorld responded by telling the officer that if he did not attend the CATSA meeting, he would be "placed on an unpaid suspension for an indefinite period of time," according to the union's grievance. The officer attended without representation.
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