July 2022 Block Awards & Grievances Update

Dear Members,

Your CUPE 4070 WS SRC and members of the Executive met with the Employer today to discuss the delay in schedule release. When this was presented to the Union last night, we asked for expedited Flica processing for June/July and a full block day of compensation for every WestJet Member. The Employer has rejected the monetary ask; they countered with a GDO for each Cabin Personnel. Your Union does not think this is a sufficient remedy that respects your time, especially given that this is the third month of an ongoing failed rollout, Seniority Bidding. Our expectation is that we receive a more meaningful resolution for our Members. The answer to expedited Flica processing is outstanding. 

Many members are asking why there is no bargained language speaking to a remedy or recourse when schedules are delayed due to Employer or system errors. The simple answer should be that a remedy shouldn’t have to be negotiated – schedules should be released on the 21st of each month, unless mutually agreed upon and due to extreme circumstances (i.e., schedule release delay due to layoffs, as we saw in February 2021). However, the absence of language allows the Union to ask for a reasonable and fair outcome that reflects the circumstance of the violation, without limiting us when schedule release is delayed.  

On June 6, 2022, Crystal Hill, CUPE 4070 President, Alia Hussain, CUPE 4070 Vice-President, Brigitte Benoit, CUPE 4070 WS YYC Base Vice-President, and Sarah Ferraro, WS SRC Chair, met the Employer in a grievance hearing to argue the three Policy Grievances the Union filed on May 12, 2022, over the seniority bidding system that was implemented in May 2022 (14 months following ratification).  

The grievances were clearly received by the Employer. Shortly after the grievance hearing ended, the Employer reached out to the Union to discuss next steps.  

The grievance process in Article 30 of the Collective Agreement outlines timelines that must be met by both the Union and the Employer. The Union has 30 days to file a grievance, the Employer has 14 days to respond to the grievance, and 14 days to issue a decision.  

Depending on the complexities of a grievance, mutually agreed upon resolutions between the Union and the Employer cannot meet the 14-day timeline. When that happens, both parties can agree to put grievances into abeyance while actively working through a mutually agreed upon resolution. 

Putting a grievance into abeyance means the grievance is still active, but not subject to timelines – timelines are put on hold, the grievance itself is not.  The resolutions requested by the Union in the three scheduling Policy Grievances cannot be mutually agreed upon in 14 days therefore, both sides have agreed to put the Policy Grievances into abeyance to facilitate required discussion. Putting a grievance into abeyance allows both sides time to come to a mutually agreed upon resolution.  

After the grievance hearing, the Union and the Employer scheduled a meeting for June 29, 2022 to discuss seniority bidding and next steps. The Union is seeking the following: 

• A seniority bidding system that respects true seniority, as was the bargained intent, to be jointly evaluated and selected by representatives from the Union and the Employer 

• The system must allow the Scheduling Review Committee and our Members to clearly understand why they received the schedule they did, and why a day off violation was deemed valid 

• Identification and implementation of improvements to the current system in the interim 

As for the Individual Day Off Disputes and Individual Scheduling Grievances the Union filed related to May 2022 schedules, the Company has requested the Union withdraw these grievances. The Company believes the issue(s) will be addressed systemically through two of the three Policy Grievances already submitted.  

The Union has since advised that we are not in a position to withdraw any days off disputes and/or individual scheduling grievances. Instead, the Union has requested that all monthly individual scheduling grievances (current and upcoming) be placed into temporary abeyance as active discussion on the current Policy Grievances (WS-POL-2022-002/003/004) are ongoing.   

Any remedy to the Policy Grievances would need to address all members of the bargaining unit and would need to satisfy the provisions of the Collective Agreement as per Article 34-2.02 and 34-2.03. Individual scheduling grievances will not be settled quickly or out of convenience.  The Union will continue to file individual scheduling grievances every month as the Collective Agreement continues to be violated.  

We know the impacts on delayed schedule release and this bidding system has had on our Membership. This is absolutely unacceptable.

Ultimately, if we could prevent the Employer’s errors, we would. If we could fix this overnight, we would. The Union has been vigorously exercising the grievance process, and we will continue to do so.  

The Union will be sure to keep the Membership informed as more information is available. 

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or require representation in a meeting, please contact your Union: cupe4070.ca/contact 

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 WS SRC
Sarah Ferraro (Chair)
Shelley MacDonald
Calvin Gautschi
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team
CUPE 4070 President, Crystal Hill
CUPE 4070 Vice-President, Alia Hussain
CUPE 4070 Secretary-Treasurer, Alex Grigoriev
CUPE 4070 Recording Secretary, Marco Di Virgilio
WestJet YVR Base VP, Chris Brewer
WestJet YYC Base VP, Brigitte Benoit
WestJet YYZ Base VP, Vacant - Pending By-election
WestJet Encore YYC Base VP, Colleen Tracey
WestJet Encore YYZ Base VP, Mauricio Mejia
Swoop Base VP, Allan Ramsarran