Swoop (WO) Members - Workforce Planning Update - February
Dear Swoop Members,
Recently, management communicated internally to our Membership their expectation that all remaining furloughed WestJet (WS) Members from all bases will be recalled by approximately April 2022. This is excellent news.
The Union has spent the past several days in meetings with the Employer going over their intended process(es) with the sole focus on ensuring that the integrity of the Collective Agreement (CA) is upheld while the multiple outlined initiatives are executed by management.
The Union is optimistic about the positive outlook shared by the Employer. In this moment, nothing is more important than returning all of our furloughed Members to active status after such a prolonged absence from the skies.
The Union does have considerable reservations regarding the Employer’s attempt to execute a sizable and multi-faceted undertaking in such a short period of time. Based on our discussions with the Employer, we are assured processes will be followed in accordance with CA language.
Based on past trends the Union remains cautious about the Employer’s ability to execute flawlessly. We are committed to ensuring recalls, vacancy bids, and flow programs are available to the membership as soon as possible, and your Union will monitor the actions and execution of these programs by the Employer.
As of today, the following is the plan being communicated by the Employer that greatly affects us at Swoop. This is very interesting as we all know that Flow is an exciting and much anticipated benefit of our Collective Agreement and membership of CUPE Local 4070.
The Process:
Swoop will fill spots in accordance with the MOA which determines the number of positions available on a quarterly basis, should operational requirements at WestJet exist. Swoop Flight Attendants can expect to be offered Flow in order of Seniority, referring to the Master Seniority List (MSL) published on the Swoop Inflight Device (SID) and SharePoint.
In order to Flow Flight Attendants must:
Have completed a minimum of twenty-four (24) months of active service as a Flight Attendant
Have active status as a Flight Attendant at the time of offer
Meet the minimum hiring standards of WestJet Alberta Partnership to be offered permanent employment with WestJet
Not have active discipline at a level greater than a written warning, or be subject to an ongoing disciplinary investigation
Offers:
Offers will be emailed to your Swoop email address. The offer email will contain a link to a Microsoft form. If you want to Flow, you must complete the form.
Once an offer is emailed, you will have 48 hours to complete the form from the time you receive the offer.
If you do not wish to Flow, you do not need to complete the form. Not responding is indicative of a deferral of Flow. Additionally, the form will give an option to “defer Flow”. Your response or lack of response to your offer is binding. Deferring does not change your position on the MSL.
The form has mandatory fields to complete. It is important to remember that each round of Flow may differ, specifically which bases are available for Flow to.WestJet’s operational needs are constantly changing. You may see a round of Flow where only YVR is offered as a base, the next round could have positions available in any of their other crew bases, like YYC, YVR and YYZ. Once you have accepted an offer to Flow, the acceptance is binding and cannot be changed or adjusted.
Offers will be made specific to the number of available positions WestJet has to fill. Contingent Flow offers will also be made, taking into consideration that not all Flight Attendants who are offered Flow will accept the offer. If you are offered Contingent Flow, Flow will be granted only if those higher on the MSL than yourself defer. Once the form has closed, Flight Attendants will receive an email from leadership confirming their status for the upcoming WestJet Initial class. Those who are successful can anticipate additional follow-up from WestJet Recruiting for the next steps, including an official offer letter.
If all spots are not filled from the first round of offers, additional offers will be sent following the MSL to fill the remaining spots.
Additional Details if Flow is Accepted and Awarded:
Once you accept permanent employment with WestJet, your employment and seniority with Swoop shall terminate.
Please contact the employer directly regarding specific programs being offered.
Should you have any questions regarding our Collective Agreement, your Union can help! Please contact us at http://www.cupe4070.ca/contact
In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team