CUPE 4070 Newsletter - March 2024
Topics in this Newsletter:
President's Update
Go Vote
Lynx Closure
Sick for a Pairing
Share Your Story
Save the Dates
Galley Gossip
President's Update
CUPE CONSTITUTION:
The revised CUPE Constitution is now available online. Similar to the Bylaws of the Local, amendments to the Constitution can be proposed and voted on during the National Convention. If you're interested in reviewing it, you can find it here: CUPE Constitution | Canadian Union of Public Employees
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Your Union Executive recognizes the importance of transparency and accountability in building trust among its members. We believe it is crucial for you to understand how your Union dues are being used. If you have specific questions or concerns about Union finances or other related matters, we encourage you to contact your dedicated representative, Alex Grigoriev, our Secretary Treasurer.
The Secretary Treasurer can provide you with information and address any queries you may have. Rest assured, your Union is committed to ensuring transparency and accountability in all financial matters.
AIRLINE DIVISION MEETING:
Airline Division Council of Presidents met for our Q1 meeting to review last year and strategically plan for the upcoming year. There will be two of the Divisions largest Locals enter into Bargaining in 2025. Air Canada will begin in the Second Quarter approx. of 2025 and WestJet Mainline will follow in Q4 of 2025. The Division also met to discuss the next steps of the Unpaid work wont fly campaign for this year as it remains a Division top Priority.
Flying with the COO:
As part of my ongoing dedication to ensure our group's concerns are effectively advocated for, CUPE Local 4070 Board and the Executive Leadership team meet on a quarterly basis. During this meeting, I raised concerns on behalf of the Executive Board and the broader membership regarding ongoing issues with some of our working conditions and the wetlease to Sunwing on Swoop aircraft.
After addressing several concerns, I suggested to Diedrick that he join me to experience the operations firsthand. I believed this would be the most impactful way for him, as the ultimate overseer of these various groups, to understand the challenges we face. Deidrick and I traveled to Regina on a snowy and extremely cold day, where we encountered significant irregular operations (IROPS) upon arrival and during the operation of the YQR-POP-YYZ. Throughout the day, we experienced various aspects of our operations, including lengthy delays, baggage issues, and more.
It was a valuable experience for Diedrick, who participated as an observer outside the crew but on the General Declaration (Gendec). He shadowed me and the crew across various positions, experiencing everything from the Buy-On-Board (BOB) service to restroom lineups, challenges with garbage disposal, and even a medical issue, along with a few difficult passengers.
Diedrick committed to take away his observations and findings, promising to address them during our next quarterly meeting. Additionally, in March, Alexis will be flying with an member of the Executive team as an addition to the crew to better understand our operations and our crew members' concerns. We believe its essential for the Management of WS to operate in the environments where they are responsible for the conditions.
UNION REPRESENTATION RESPONSE TIMES:
Recently, we've received several inquiries from members seeking clarification about response times from the Base VPs, prompting us to clarify expectations. It's important to understand that the Base VPs typically follow a schedule aligned with the Company, as that's when the bulk of their workload arises.
Many other Union Representatives and Committees also have a flying schedule which will impact response times.
We kindly ask our members to be patient regarding response times from the Union, considering that the average Base VP is responsible for overseeing anywhere from 650 to sometimes over 1200 individuals. While they are dedicated and committed to their roles, it's important to acknowledge that there may be a delay in response. The priority of the Base VPs are
Requests for representations
Grievances and all related work
General inquiries.
General Feedback
We are looking at various structures for the future of the Union and ultimately this decision rests with the members as they determine our direction through the bylaw's and our budgets. Our budgets currently do not accommodate 7 days of operations.
Please only contact the Union via the contact section of the website. You will find forms and email addresses there to contact the Union. Contacting the Union via other methods, such as their personal social media is not acceptable. CUPE 4070's social media is also not monitored and not a contact method.
CIRB LEARNING SERIES
In our continuous effort to maintain transparent and timely communication with the membership, we'll be introducing a learning series via email about the Canadian Industrial Relations Board. This initiative aims to address the questions we've received regarding their role. Stay tuned for updates!
Go Vote!
Voting in the current election is currently underway. Please view the voting package that was emailed out a couple days ago. Please ensure to vote now if you are eligible to vote. If you are searched and cannot find your vote link and are eligible to vote, please click here.
Lynx Closure
We are deeply saddened by the closure of Lynx Airlines, a fellow CUPE local. Anytime we see a fellow Cabin Crew go through a closure, it brings to mind the fragile nature of the aviation industry. Please keep them in your thoughts and if you know anyone from Lynx, encourage them to apply here.
Sick for a Pairing
If you are sick for a pairing, please ensure to call in sick and utilize sick time as permitted by the CLC.
The Company has requested documentation from CCMs as a result of them utilizing Flica to post a drop/trade a pairing and then later calling in sick for it.
It is not a CCMs responsibility to cover their pairing if they are sick, this falls to the Employer. The Employer has shown that they do look and track your Flica trades and logging in, when you have called in sick for a pairing. Please keep this in mind. We each are permitted an allotment of paid sick days per year.
Your first point of contact is your direct Inflight Leader, if things need to be escalated please contact your Base Vice President.
Share Your Story
We have several recognition months coming up. If you would like to share a short story/pictures please email communications@cupe4070.ca
Depending on the number of responses, not all may be able to be included in the newsletters.
Some of the upcoming months;
Asian Heritage Month
Pride Month
Emancipation Month
Jewish Heritage Month
National Indigenous Heritage Month
If you have a story to share about others months as well, please write in to the email address above.
Save the Dates
All events can be found under "Events" after you log into the website
General Membership Meeting (GMM)
May 8th, 2024 1100PT/1200MT/1400ET - Sign Up Here
Open only to Members in Good Standing or to those who have completed the application process.
If you are unsure if you are a Member in Good Standing, please reach out to anyone on the Executive Team here.
What is a member in good standing? This can be found in by-laws section 3. Simply put, the CCM has filled out the application form, paid the initiation fee (not dues), and been approved at the next GMM by the members.
If you are not a Member in Good Standing, to apply, Sign a Card Here and pay the $5 Membership fee (if you haven't already). The final step is approval at the next GMM, which occurs every May and November.
When you sign into the meeting the day of, please ensure your first and last name, and your employee number is showing. Otherwise you cannot be verified and will be denied entry into the meeting.
**DO NOT USE YOUR WORK EMAIL ADDRESS**
Galley Gossip
(Visit the Galley Gossip Wall on our website to see previous submissions and answers)
Have a Galley Gossip question, please submit here.
Q: Has the Swoop Seniority been finalized there is a lot of rumours on the line some are very sure that our place is set in the list while others are very sure we are not done talking about it yet. Could we get some clarity on whats actually happening?
A: Swoop seniority has not been finalized or determined yet. This ties into the current merger committee election occurring at this moment. Please stay tuned and keep an eye out for our communications