Air North flight attendants take job action

Flight attendants of Yukon's Air North will not be serving in-flight beverages or meals on selected flights as of Monday as part of ajob action over stalled contract negotiations.

They are currently in alegal strike position. Theunion says they have chosen to continue flying but willprovide only theservices deemed essential by Transport Canada.

The airline's flight attendants joined the Yukon Employees' Union, a member of the Public Service Alliance of Canada,in 2013.

Steve Geick, president of the Yukon Employees' Union, says the flight attendants want to bring attention to wages and working conditions.

"These people that are looking out for your lives while you are on that aircraft are doing a lot of unpaid work and that needs to be recognized and what we are trying to do is educate the public," he said.

Geick says the flight attendants have been at the negotiating table for almost a year, with little progress.

Air North president Joe Sparling says things are not as bad as the union portrays.

"I'm absolutely confident this can be easily settled," he said.

"We are bargaining fairly. We are reasonable people;we treat our employees fairly and I'm as frustrated as they are by the length of time it's taken, but it is a very bureaucratic process."

Sparling says he's been advised flight attendants will withhold food and beverage service on Monday night'sflightbetween Whitehorse and Vancouver.

He says the next bargaining session with the union is scheduled for next week.