Jet Jockey, notice that the changes will be implemented over 6 years! There is a contract at AC and 1 clause should not be changed overnight (to serve a few while being detrimental to many). The change should be implemented over a period of time and other aspects of the contract changed with it.
You're absolutely right ClevelandHD, it should have been implemented over a period of time in conjunction with other aspects of the contract. But the time to do that was twenty years ago when it was plain to see that mandatory retirement in Canada was on the way out.
We didn't do that when we should have. Since then the situation in Canada changed from "mandatory retirement on the way out", to "mandatory retirement gone", and still we have done nothing to prepare for it. We have no choice but to change now, and our unwillingness to prepare for it or even accept the reality that is now upon us is making it that much more difficult. But change we must.