CUPE’s Air Canada Component, representing 10,000 Flight Attendants at Air Canada, is adding its support to the request by CUPE’s National Executive Board for Fred Hahn to resign his seat as General Vice-President for Ontario. Air Canada Component President Wesley Lesosky made the following statement:
“Being part of our union is about being part of a team, and Fred stopped being a team player a long time ago. His reckless comments last October put our members who have to travel to the Middle East as part of their flight duties in the crosshairs and he has never apologized for his role in jeopardizing their safety.
“Earlier this month he proved he hadn’t learned a thing when he reposted a racist and antisemitic video online. That is not leadership, and that is not what we expect of leaders in our union.
“This is not about choosing a side in this horrible conflict that has already taken far too many innocent lives. This is about whether we think it’s okay for our elected leaders to be sharing harmful views that violate CUPE’s Equality Statement online and repeatedly getting a pass for it.
“The responsible thing for Fred to do was resign in October after his insensitive remarks that put his fellow CUPE members in harm’s way. The next best thing is for him to resign today.”
In Solidarity,
Wesley Lesosky
President, Air Canada Component of CUPE