British Columbia Federation of Labour

The BC Federation of Labour is joining unions at Air Canada in their condemnation of the compensation paid to Robert Milton.
Milton, who ran Air Canada from 1994 to 2004, is now Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ACE Aviation Holdings. ACE was the controlling shareholder in Air Canada and still owns 27 percent of the company.
"Air Canada workers have endured years of wage freezes, threats to their pension savings, deteriorating working conditions, huge job losses and demands for more and more concessions," says Angela Schira, Secretary Treasurer of the B.C. Federation of Labour. "The compensation paid to Robert Milton is an insult to those workers and will certainly set the stage for difficult labour relations in the months ahead. This is bad news for both the employees at Air Canada and the travelling public."
Milton's compensation will total $14.7 million for 2009, almost double what he was paid in 2008. From 2005-2009, Milton's remuneration exceeded $82 million.
"Robert Milton has walked away with tens of millions of dollars at the same time Air Canada workers have made wage sacrifices and productivity concessions to keep the airline flying," Schira says. "Robert Milton's salary is yet another example of obscene executive compensation," Schira added.
"This week we also saw the list of BC's highest paid executives. Combined, the top 10 walked away with a staggering $70 million for a year's work. This is completely out of line with the economic realities facing most Canadians who go to work every day too," Schira added.
For more information: Evan Stewart, Director of Communication
(604) 430-1421.