May 2024 Newsletter
Topics in this Newsletter:
Message From the Secretary Treasurer
Update From CUPE National Committees
Update Commuter Committee
Occupational Health & Safety Reminder
Share Your Story
Save the Dates
Galley Gossip
Message From the Secretary Treasurer
Dear Members,
It has been twelve months since we have come to you with our budget proposal and at the upcoming GMM this Wednesday (May 8th) we will be coming to you again to seek authorization for spending in the coming 2024-2025 fiscal year.
If you recall last time I presented a balanced budget, which involved a large investment into a new grievance management system. This project has been led by our Recording Secretary, Calvin Gautschi and is nearing completion. While we will be reviewing our current fiscal year final performance at the next GMM in November, the current preliminary metrics are showing good results with anticipated allocation to savings at the end of this period. Since the inception of this local our savings have been growing every year in anticipation of irregular activities that we don’t deal with every year. Since I have been in this role, it has been the goal of executive board to present balanced budgets and deliver efficiencies wherever possible to build up savings for the moment the rainy day comes. These balanced budgets involve a lot of hard decisions in terms of where to allocate scarce resources, knowing that not delivering savings year on year is unacceptable and would hurt us when these rainy days come.
The rainy days have come and next two fiscal years will likely be those irregular years where we have to dip into the savings to finance two of the biggest undertakings any local can face – integration with members of Local 4055 (Sunwing cabin crew members) and bargaining for CA2.
On the revenues side, these are projected to increase due to interest revenue being a lot higher than it has been in the past. While we don’t know how long these high interest rates will stick around, they have been instrumental in providing us with a source of extra funding.
On the expense side, one of the key features of this budget proposal is to incorporate an annual allocation to bargaining defense fund in every fiscal year going forward. This initiative would have to be included and ratified in the bylaws, however, it is not too early to start earmarking funds for the purposes of supporting future bargaining defense initiatives including strike support. Once funds are set aside on a continuous basis, they are locked and unavailable for other initiatives. As a union, we have to recognize that bargaining is the most resource intensive initiative under any local. As executive Board, your concerns about current working rules dominate our daily landscape and we simply cannot afford to not have sufficient resources when bargaining for CA2 commences.
On top of bargaining defense fund allocation (which will not be spent in the next fiscal year as it is “frozen” and can only be used during actual bargaining) we are proposing a sizeable investment into the development of bargaining committee and its strategy. This fall we will likely have to elect the new committee members and while they won’t start bargaining right away, they will have a task of being appropriately trained, formulating a bargaining strategy and communicating with the membership to set goals and priorities for CA2.
Integration with local 4055 is another sizeable and costly endeavor for which we need to allocate significant resources. Current legal team for 4055 is impressive and commendable. However, our legal counsel is a titan of Canadian merger landscape and has been an active part of Air Canada and Canadian Airlines merger twenty-some years ago. We are extremely happy to be able to have legal counsel Michael Church represent our interests at the CIRB level and at any future legal proceedings related to this integration. Having Michael on our team assures us that whatever the outcome, it will be the absolute best outcome for our members. I am sure all of you are aware that quality legal work does not come cheap and therefore we will be proposing a large allocation of resources from our savings to cover any legal fees over the course of the next fiscal year.
The other anticipated pool of costs related to the integration is potential joint meetings that may need to take place between locals 4070 and 4055. It is currently unknown how many meetings there will be, thus we are proposing to allocate a large sum of funds for this initiative in case the integration becomes a prolonged affair, which from the latest news from our employer can be a very distinct and realistic possibility. Our president, Alia Hussain, works very hard to pass on as much of the integration related costs to the employer as it is their initiative, however, it is likely we need to be prepared to spend our own funds to get the best outcome possible for our members.
To support our president through these tumultuous times and to ensure there is continuity in the duties of the president should there be a leadership change in November elections, we have proposed to allocate funds for part-time admin support. This will allow our president to focus more on pressing issues, rather than spending time organizing their calendar and prioritizing meetings and email responses.
Aside from integration and bargaining costs, a significant portion of which will need to be financed out of savings, our regular costs have been coming down.
Our YVR and YYZ offices are projected to close over the course of the next fiscal year. We have undertaken a tracking project to determine whether the costs of office use outweigh the benefits they bring, and the board has decided to only keep the office in YYC for the time being. Nevertheless, the use of YYC office will continue to be evaluated, should the costs of keeping it open outweigh its benefits.
With new bases opening, we are also seeing an increase in the budget for the Occupational Health and Safety Committee. It is a federally legislated committee and with extra bases we have additional committee members that will require training and resource allocation. While our CA language helps us with some of the costs for this committee, which are the responsibility of the Employer, we still have significant training requirements for all committee members, especially considering we are going into a major election year.
Our steward budget continues to be an area of opportunity for improvement. Currently the Employer determines when the investigative and disciplinary meetings take place, and we respond to that. The executive board continues to have discussions on how to make this structure more robust with respect to cost efficiencies without losing the agility in our ability to respond to these meetings. Our goal is to ensure that members always have someone in there supporting them and advocating on their behalf.
Our affiliation continues to be only with the CUPE Airline Division now, however, the board will use the upcoming fiscal year to determine whether affiliating with other provincial CUPE divisions will bring extra benefits to our members and that these benefits outweigh the costs of these affiliations.
In conclusion, after a few years of demonstrating our fiscal restraint and aggressively growing our savings, we are about to embark on two years where these savings, with your permission, will carry us through the not-so-friendly skies of 2025 and 2026. Having said that, please bear in mind that a lot of costs relating to the integration of two locals or bargaining are unknown at the moment. They are projections and are set at a higher end of the projection spectrum. Our goal is to spend less wherever we can. In those instances where we cannot, we need to be able to spend what is required to obtain the best outcome possible for our members.
I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible this Wednesday at the annual GMM, where I will be happy to answer any questions you may have relating to the proposed budget discussed herein. You can view the proposed budget in the secure portal on cupe4070.ca and as per usual, please refrain from sharing the budget specifics with our employer via the social media.
Alex Grigoriev
Secretary Treasurer
Update From CUPE National Committees
Message from National Health and Safety Committee member Alex Grigoriev:
It is my first time serving on a National Committee and I am extremely grateful for my appointment to CUPE National Health and Safety Committee, which recently had its recent meeting in Ottawa. This committee represents everything H&S related across Canada and shares concerns and proposed solutions to issues faced by all unionized sectors. Employers across the nation, many of which are provincial governments need constant reminders of the mighty voice that the organized labour can bring to their workplace with support of government bodies. For federally regulated entities, ESDC is the body that oversees adherence to the rights workers carry under the Canada Labour Code. We all have four rights and we should never be in doubt when we need to utilize them. These rights are:
The right to know about health and safety matters – Do not be afraid to ask about those MELs on the aircraft during your briefing and how they affect your wellbeing. If five minutes is not enough to do the briefing, please document it.
The right to participate in decisions that could affect their health and safety – Do not hesitate to run for OHS positions or voice your concerns with our OHS committee. Also send them copies of your safety IHRs as most IHRs we think are supposed to reach them – do not reach them (safety@cupe4070.ca).
Right to Refuse Dangerous Work
Right to No Reprisal from Your Employer
Amongst other aspects, National Health and Safety committee provides advice to National Executive Board of CUPE on issues related to Health and Safety and works towards improved H&S regulations and legislation. It also collaborates with other National Committees as H&S has no boundaries and affects every worker on a multitude of levels. The committee will be meeting in YOW again in 2024 to craft the agenda and provide updates to its respective memberships.
Message from National Pink Triangle representative Allan Ramsarran:
Hello CUPE brothers and sisters of local4070.
I hope this message finds you well;
Just a bit of an update to what I have been up to at CUPE National Committees, since joining the local4070 Executive Committee I became an active member of 2 committees at our national level. I am a member of the National Trial Panel Judge and a member of the National Pink Triangle Committee. The Trial Judge panel member is exactly what it says, we are usually a panel of 3 judges and we hear, debate, cross exam / question plaintiffs and defendants from all locals across Canada that are part of CUPE. Once all cases are heard we debate and then send our judgement to the President's office of CUPE National, which then sends a final decision from our tribunal. My 2nd role is being an active member of The National Pink Triangle committee, The National Pink Triangle Committee promotes and defends the rights and freedoms of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and two-spirited (LGBTQ2+) persons. Active participation from the LGBTQ2+ community in coalitions, lobbying and campaigns contributes to the education and awareness of the lives and perspectives of LGBTQ2+ people amongst CUPE members, within CUPE structures, in workplaces and communities. I also use this platform to bring to the attention of all regarding our working standards and #unpaidworkwontfly campaign. We are calling out all airlines that support this unfair work practice and will be bringing it up again at our National convention, hopefully with your support I will be able to attend and bring this barbaric and outdated mentality and concept to the main floor to let other locals join us in stopping this kind of work standards. I urge all of you to get involved at the National level with so many committees, ( and there are many).
Stay strong and united.
Allan 'Bronson' Ramsarran
Message from National Global Justice Committee member Mauricio Mejia:
While Mauricio was unable to provide an update here, we are optimistic we will see him at the GMM to hear about his experience on Global Justice Committee. In the meantime #UnpaidWorkWontFly continues to be a recurrent theme at CUPE National gatherings.
Update From the Commuter Committee
We are happy to report that thanks to the diligent persistence of one of our dedicated YWG commuters, we have been able to secure a commuter rate at the Hampton Inn by Hilton Winnipeg Airport/Polo Park.
Booking Link: https://www.hilton.com/en/book/reservation/deeplink/?ctyhocn=YWGAPHX&corporateCode=0003420710
Hotel: Hampton Inn by Hilton Winnipeg Airport/Polo Park, MD
Company Name: CUPE LOCAL 4070
Please note, the entire URL must be copied and pasted for it to work properly. Please share this link with anyone who needs to book our reduced commuter rates.
For assistance, please contact the hotel directly.
We would like to thank Marissa Oppedisano for her persistence and encourage others to reach out if you have any other suggestions for the committee.
Occupational Health & Safety Reminder
Your Health and Safety teams needs to have all available information about hazards you encounter in the course of your duty day. We do not always see all the required IHRs you submit to the company and will be working with them to resolve this.
In the meantime, please take screenshots of your IHRs (or copy and paste all the relevant information) and forward these screenshots to safety@cupe4070.ca so we are better positioned to have fact-based conversations with our employer to address health and safety shortcomings in the workplace.
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;
Pride Month
Emancipation 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: One-crew concept will soon be back to mainline, just like encore?
A: There's currently no information about one-crew concept returning to mainline, similar to Encore. We will keep you updated through official channels if anything changes.
Q: Is it true that Encore FAs who flowed will again be screwed up by this Sunwing merger in terms of seniority?
A: We understand concerns exist regarding the Sunwing merger and Encore Flight Attendant seniority. Once finalized, this topic will be addressed in detail through upcoming official communication. Stay tuned for more information.
Q:The new sick time attendance program. I can bank up to 22 sick days but if I have to use more than 13 in a 12 month rolling period I get put on a program?!
A: This was clarified in a recent communication and company town hall (link). We recommend reviewing both for details.
Union Position:
We're actively reviewing the program with legal advisors and will challenge any violations of your rights under the Collective Agreement or Canada Labour Code. We understand your concerns and will keep you updated.
Q: If I’ve heard it once I’ve heard it a thousand times on the line “I talked with a union rep and they said Sunwing FAs will definitely get their seniority”
Is there people in our union actually fueling the fire that is going on right now with the Sunwing merger?
A:We know there is a lot of discussion about Sunwing Flight Attendant seniority in relation to the merger. It's important to understand that this is a complex issue that has not been finalized yet.
Seniority will ultimately be determined by a legal framework that considers established precedents. While past cases in Canada may provide some guidance, the final decision on Sunwing FA seniority will depend on the specific details of the merger and the legalities involved. We are actively working on this matter and will provide an update when one becomes available.
Q: I keep hearing a buyout could be in the talk with the integration of Sunwing employees and before contract renewal. Is that true? And if so; when could that be offered? Thank you
A: We currently have no information to share regarding potential buyouts. Integration with Sunwing is still ongoing, and no discussions about buyouts have taken place between CUPE and WestJet. We will be sure to communicate any official developments about buyouts if they arise.
Q: ‘37 Cabin Managers coming.
Why? For almost 30 years, we have survived without them. Apparently there is a consensus that new flight attendants require some direction. This is easily solved by offering adequate training. Bring back line indocs.
Our training has been more and more and more abbreviated every single year. We are asked to do more learning on our own and receive less direction, especially for service. Instead of assigning police, offer us better training.
A: We hear your concerns about the introduction of Cabin Managers (CMs) on the 737. The company has shared its position desiring the introduction of a leadership role on the 37, however those details would need to be reconciled with the current Collective agreement, and bargained in the next CA or, if it's a matter that finds its way to the CIRB, there.
Regarding the training concerns - Line indocs have never been discontinued - Follow Up Flights (FUF) were discontinued, and a group line indoc was implemented in its place.
To further advocate for improved training, we encourage you to submit an IHR. Detailed reports are crucial in supporting the Union's push for better training programs, particularly when it relates to safety concerns.
Q: Why are we considered safety professionals but not paid for safety related duties? Should we consider keeping CUPE if even after going to the government we are still not compensated properly? How did WestJet get on the best Forbes jobs when as new flight attendants we are making below 30k a year?
A:Flight Attendants are safety professionals, but some ground duties lack compensation due to outdated practices. CUPE is fighting for fair pay for all our work, including safety-related tasks. Learn more about the "Unpaid Work Won't Fly" campaign at https://unpaidworkwontfly.ca.
The Forbes "Best Employers" list uses a limited survey (less than 1% of Canadians) which may not reflect WestJet's reality, especially for new hires under $30k. Fair compensation remains a priority for CUPE in upcoming negotiations.
Your Local 4070 Executives:
President, Alia Hussain
Vice President, YWG Base VP, Tyson Conrod
Recording Secretary, Calvin Gautschi
Secretary-Treasurer, Alex Grigoriev
WestJet Encore YYC Base VP, Heather Crippen
WestJet Encore YYZ Base VP, Marcus Johnstone-McKinney
WestJet YEG/YVR Base VP, Chris Brewer
WestJet YYC Interim Base VP, Lisa Blayney
WestJet YYZ Base VP, Bryan Hansraj