Dear WestJet Encore Members,

As implementation of our Collective Agreement continues, we want to make sure that you are set up for success. As of September, Duty RIGs and Trip RIGs will be implemented. Below you will find some guidance on how to calculate your Duty RIGs, Trip RIGs, and an explanation of how this will affect your overall Credit.   

The Basics  

Article 41-5 of your Collective Agreement details pairing reconciliation.  

With the implementation of RIGs, the Credit Hours of the pairing will now be calculated as the combined total Credit Hours of all the scheduled or operated duty periods in the pairing OR by Trip RIG (calculated as ¼ of TAFB), whichever is greater.  

In short, you will either be credited by Duty RIG or Trip RIG, whichever is greater. It is important that all CCMs understand the difference between the two and how each are calculated.  

Before we begin, we want to review several terms and acronyms that we use to explain our pay structure;  

a. Duty RIG – calculated as 50% of the actual duty time completed in the duty period. This is typically per day. For example, a 4-day pairing in which you operate each day will have four duty periods.  

b. Trip RIG –calculated from original check in time of your pairing to check out time on the final day of your pairing. Trip RIG= 1 credit hour for each 4 hours of scheduled TAFB (time away from base)  

c. MDPC – Monthly Minimum Pairing Credit (4 Credit Hours per day)  

d. MMG – Monthly Minimum Guarantee (75 Credit Hours per month)  

e. TAFB – Time away from base  

f. Actual Credit – total block hours, plus any deadhead credit, completed in the duty period  

We will begin by walking through how to calculate your credit hours using Duty RIGs. The table below offers an example of a 5-day pairing.  

Calculating Credit Hours using Duty RIGs 

When calculating what you will be paid for with the implementation of Duty RIGs, there are three different numbers that must be considered: Actual Credit, MDPC, and Duty RIG. The language from Article 41-5.03 in the CA states,  

The actual operated Credit Hours of the pairing is calculated as the combined total Credit Hours of all the operated duty periods in the pairing or one (1) Credit Hour for each four (4) hours of scheduled time away from base (TAFB) in the pairing (“Trip RIG”), whichever is greater. The actual operated Credit Hours of each individual duty period will be the greater of:  

a. The actual Block Hours, plus any Deadhead Credit, completed in the duty period,  

b. The MDPC of four (4) Credit Hours, or;  

c. Fifty percent (50%) of the actual duty time completed in the duty period (“Duty RIG”)  

Example:

Step one: Determine the Credit hours for each day by determining which of the three values, Actual Block Hours, MDPC, or Duty RIG, is higher;  

a. Calculate Actual Credit for each day by noting the block hours for that duty day plus any DH credit (calculated at 50% of the flight time).   

b. Note the MDPC. This will always be 4 hours, except in cases where there was no duty period within the day. In that case, credit for the day would be 0. (An example of having 0 credit for the day would be a day in which you laid over in a city and did not actually work that day.)   

c. Calculate the Duty RIG (½ of the Duty period which is check in to check out).   

Step two: Determine which value, Actual Credit, MDPC or Duty RIG, is the greatest. The example in the table has the greatest values highlighted in green. These will be your credit for the day.  

Step three: Calculate the Pairing Credit by adding each days’ credit hours together;  4 (day 1) + 4.35 (day 2) + 4.24 (day 3) + 5.46 (day 4) + 4 (day 5) = 22:45 credit hours 

Calculating Credit Hours using Trip RIGs 

Calculating Trip RIGs is much less complicated.  Trip RIG = TAFB divided by 4. If we were using the 5-day pairing provided in the table, the TAFB is 96:30. Trip RIG (TAFB/4) =  96:30 / 4 = 24:08 

How to determine the Pairing Credit  

The pairing credit is either the sum of all daily credit (calculated by comparing Duty RIGs, Actual Credit, and MDCP), OR ¼ of TAFB, whichever is greater.  

Daily Credit Total = 22:45 
Trip Rig (TAFB / 4) = 24:08 
The pairing credit is thus 24:08.

How does the implementation of RIGs change your Credit Hours? 

The implementation of RIGs is the final layer of pay to be added with the current CA. The combination of DH pay, MDCP and now RIGs has added significant credit to pairings all of which are included within the Monthly Minimum Guarantee (MMG) of 75 hours.

The 5-day pairing that was used as our example would previously have been credited 14:17 towards your MMG.  In September, this same pairing will be credited 24:08 towards your MMG.  This is almost 10 hours added to your MMG of 75 hours! 

As always, if you have any questions, please contact us: cupe4070.ca/contact  

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team
WestJet Encore YYC Base VP, Colleen Tracey
WestJet Encore YYZ Base VP, Mauricio Mejia
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
Interim WestJet YYC Base VP, Tyson Conrod
WestJet YYZ Base VP, Bryan Hansraj
Swoop Base VP, Allan Ramsarran