Dear Members,

Your CUPE 4070 Executive was notified yesterday of WestJet's pending acquisition of Sunwing. We want to assure you that we have every intention of keeping Members as informed as possible every step of the way: 
 

What we do know: 

• The deal is waiting on regulatory approval. Approval could take between 9 and 18 months

• The Company will be reaching out to the Union for further discussion as this develops 

• Sunwing is a tour company operating its own charter flights mostly to sun destinations 

• Sunwing is the largest travel company in North America, the vertically integrated Sunwing Travel Group 

• Sunwing Cabin Crew are Members of CUPE Local 4055. The local has about 800 members 

What we don’t know: 

• The corporate structure of this acquisition. We do not know if WestJet intends to run the Sunwing portion as a separate entity, or as part of existing, expanded operations

• The status/seniority of any employees potentially brought over from Sunwing

• How this might impact where the WestJet Group flies and routings

The WestJet, WestJet Encore, and Swoop Collective Agreements address acquisitions in their scope articles (Article 6): 

6-1 GENERAL  

6-1.01 Subject to the application of the Canada Labour Code, or any other statute or applicable law, this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect in the event that the Company changes ownership, acquires another airline, is sold to another airline, or merges with another airline. 

Westjet and WestJet Encore Collective Agreements say the following:  

6-3 BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS  

6-3.01 After the Company has signed and announced a capacity purchase agreement, code-share agreement, marketing agreement, interline agreement, block space agreement, joint venture, or any other agreement that provides for the sharing of passengers or revenue between the Company and another air carrier, the Company shall, upon request of the Union, and subject to the Parties reaching an agreement on confidentiality, meet with the Union in good faith to discuss: (i) the potential impact of the agreement on Cabin Personnel; and (ii) options to address that impact on Cabin Personnel.  

6-3.02 The Company will not establish a new affiliate for the purposes of circumventing the terms and conditions of this Agreement. 

6-4 JOB SECURITY 

6-4.01 No Cabin Personnel shall be laid off as a direct result of the Company’s business relationships with WestJet Encore Ltd. And Swoop Inc., and/or other airlines, including capacity purchase agreements, code-sharing agreements, marketing agreements, interline agreements, block space agreements and joint ventures.   

We understand this news may feel overwhelming, particularly after so many years of uncertainty in our beloved industry. While we believe there are reasons to be cautiously optimistic, we ask that you be mindful that Members of Local 4055 (Sunwing) have also endured the same struggles that we have these last few years, and this news is likely to have caused significant uncertainty for them as well.  

The Employer has a Q&A on SharePoint (you can find the link for this in your Company Email), and until more information is available, your CUPE 4070 Executive will be planning for all possibilities. We ask for your patience as we navigate this acquisition. As new information comes available to your CUPE 4070 Executive, it will be provided to Members. 

As always, if you require representation or have a workplace concern, please contact us: cupe4070.ca/contact. 

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

CUPE 4070 Interim President, Crystal Hill
CUPE 4070 Interim Vice-President, Brigitte Benoit
CUPE 4070 Secretary-Treasurer, Alex Grigoriev
CUPE 4070 Recording Secretary, Marco Di Virgilio
WestJet YVR Base VP, Chris Brewer
Interim WestJet YYC Base VP. Brandy Whitby
Interim WestJet YYZ Base VP, Bryan Hansraj
WestJet Encore YYC Base VP, Colleen Tracey
WestJet Encore YYZ Base VP, Mauricio Mejia
Swoop Base VP, Allan Ramsarran