WestJet, WestJet Encore & Swoop By-elections

Dear Members,


Nominations for various Committees and Union Steward positions are now open.
 

Please review the following information carefully:

Nominations Open: June 16, 2021 @ 03:00 PT / 04:00 MT / 06:00 ET

Nominations Close: June 22, 2021 @ 15:00 PT / 16:00 MT / 18:00 ET

Members In Good Standing (signed card and paid $5 Membership fee) can nominate other Members In Good Standing at their own airline. If you wish to participate in this nomination and election process and have not signed a card, please sign a card and pay the $5 Membership fee on our website at least 24 hours before the nomination & election end for processing. SIGN A CARD HERE

Vacant Positions:

WestJet

• Scheduling Review Committee – 1 per base

• Uniform Committee – 1 per base

• Health & Safety Committee – 2x YYZ base only*
  *(must be an active employee)

• Union Steward 1x YVR base only

• Committee Against Racism and Discrimination (CARD) – 1 (any base)

• Commuter Committee – 1 per base

• Return to Work – 1 per base

• Temporary Bylaw Committee – 1 per base

• Women's Committee – 1 (any base)

WestJet Encore

• Scheduling Review Committee – 1 (any base)

• Uniform Committee – 1 (any base)

• Health & Safety Committee – 1x YYZ base only*
  *(must be an active employee)

• Union Steward – 2x YYC base / 8x YYZ base

• Committee Against Racism and Discrimination (CARD) – 1 (any base)

• Commuter Committee – 1 (any base)

• Return to Work – 1 (any base)

• Temporary Bylaw Committee – 1 per base

• Women's Committee – 1 (any base)

Swoop

• Scheduling Review Committee – 1 (any base)

• Uniform Committee – 1 (any base)

• Committee Against Racism and Discrimination (CARD) – 1 (any base)

• Return to Work – 1 (any base)

• Temporary Bylaw Committee – 1 (any base)

• Women's Committee – 1 (any base)

 (The nominee and nominator must be from the same base if the vacancy is base specific)

Nomination Forms:

WESTJET

WESTJET ENCORE

SWOOP

All nomination forms must be filled out electronically or printed and scanned and sent by email to: elections@cupe4070.ca by June 22, 2021 @ 15:00 PT / 16:00 MT / 18:00 ET
Please include the position and nominee name in the subject line of your email.
 
NOTES:

• The nominator must discuss the nomination with the nominee and both must be Members In Good Standing (Signed Union card and paid $5 membership fee)

• Only one nomination form is required per nominee for the same position.

• You cannot nominate yourself.

Nomination Confirmation:
On June 23, 2021, all Members who have been nominated will be sent an email from Marco Di Virgilio, Recording Secretary & Returning Officer, asking if they will allow their name to stand on the ballot and accept the nomination. These individuals will have until June 25, 2021 @ 15:00 PT / 16:00 MT / 18:00 ET to accept or decline their nomination.

If you are nominated for a position, please monitor your email and spam/junk folder during this period. Nominees who do not reply by the deadline will automatically be considered to have declined their nomination.

Resume/Information Sheet:
All nominees that accept their nomination will be given the opportunity to provide a one (1) page (8.5x11 size) resume/info sheet which can be posted on our social media pages and website with links sent by email to all Members In Good Standing for review.

Nominees must send their resume/info sheet in PDF format to: elections@cupe4070.ca by June 25, 2021 @ 15:00 PT / 16:00 MT / 18:00 ET. You can start creating your resume/information sheet ASAP.

PLEASE DO NOT

• Submit large file resume/info sheets

• Use company logos

• Provide any information you don’t want public

Elections:
START:  June 28, 2021 @ 03:00 PT / 04:00 MT / 06:00 ET
END:  July 4, 2021 @ 15:00 PT / 16:00 MT / 18:00 ET


Electoral Officer:
The Electoral Officer for this election will be Kendra Thibault, WestJet Encore Cabin Crew Member - YYC Base.



In Solidarity,
Marco Di Virgilio, Recording Secretary & Returning Officer - CUPE 4070

Swoop Bargaining Update #4

Dear Members,


Your Swoop CUPE 4070 Bargaining Committee continued in Collective Bargaining with the Company via zoom from June 1 - 3, 2021. This was an exceptionally productive round of negotiations, as outlined below.

Since our last update, the following ten (10) Articles have been signed in TA:

• Non-Bargaining Unit Employees and Inflight Duties

• Classification

• Legal

• Filling of Vacancies

• Language Qualifications

• Definitions (ongoing Article being added to during negotiations)

• Travel Privileges

• Unplanned Emergency Days

• Layoff and Recall

• Health and Safety

The work completed during last week’s negotiations has brought us much closer to the finish line of presenting each of you with CUPE 4070’s very first Tentative Agreement for Swoop Cabin Crew Members, and subsequent ratification vote.

To provide the Membership with perspective in terms of where we are at in the Collective Bargaining process:

Following completion of TAs for each of the planned forty-two (42) articles that will comprise the Swoop proposed Collective Agreement, the final step prior to the conclusion of negotiations will be the bargaining of the all-encompassing monetary and financial package. Essentially, this will be the negotiation of anything throughout all of the tentatively agreed to articles that is related to monetary or financial matters. These articles have been negotiated in principle, with specific dollar or cost amounts that have been left “TBD” or ‘to be determined’. This is common practice in negotiations of first Collective Agreements following union certification. All TBD references will have their specific value negotiated in the final monetary package. 

With over 80% of Articles signed in TA, the Committee would like to express our optimism towards having a full Tentative Agreement ready for presentation to the Membership, and subsequent ratification vote well prior to the end of the year. We will continue to communicate our progress with you.

Bargaining dates are secured through the summer and into September, should they be needed. Additionally, we have added a total of two (2) days, by adding single days onto existing blocks of Bargaining. Our priority is presenting you with your Tentative Agreement before the end of the year. The final bargaining dates for negotiations - secured into September, should they be necessary - over the next four (4) months are: 

June 15 - 17, 2021

June 28 - 30, 2021

August 9 - 12, 2021

August 23 - 26, 2021

September 7 - 9, 2021

September 21 - 23, 2021

As always, if you have questions or require assistance from your Union, please reach out to us at: www.cupe4070.ca/contact. 

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Swoop Bargaining Committee

May 2021 GMM Recap

Dear Members,


On May 21, 2021 your Local and its Executive held a General Membership Meeting via Zoom. The full recording of the GMM in its entirety, along with the requested budget and income statements from a Member motion at the meeting, are available on our Local’s website cupe4070.ca. 

If you have not registered for the Member Portal, please find instructions below:

WESTJET

WESTJET ENCORE

SWOOP

Some key moments from the meeting:

• The Board report motions were adopted as well as acceptance of all 196 new Members who had applied for Membership since the previous GMM. It is with great sadness that we lost Aurel Poirier. Forever in our minds and hearts. A moment of silence was observed.

• The Board provided a trial procedure update. There are seven trial complaints, five of which are proceeding to trial. These trials will be panel appointed by CUPE National President Mark Hancock. Chris Rauenbusch and Marco Di Virgilio are respondents on three, two of which include Kruti Sutaria. Two additional complaints are to be investigated. Anticipated date of outcome was to be June 12 or shortly thereafter. Since the GMM this date has been modified to June 28, by CUPE National.

• Implementation of the WestJet Collective Agreement (CA) with WestJet Encore and Swoop to follow once bargaining concludes; expected by end of year for WestJet Encore and Swoop.

• A new implementation of a structured process for committees. The committee vacancies nominations will begin in June 2021.

• The Committees to be filled by the next election are:*

  • Scheduling Review Committee

  • Uniform Committee

  • Health & Safety Committee - YYZ Base vacancy

  • Union Steward vacancies

  • Committee Against Racism and Discrimination (CARD)

  • Commuter Committee

  • Return to Work and Accomodation Committee

  • Temporary Bylaw Committee

  • Women's Committee
    
    (Some Committees may see a reduced workload due to Collective Agreement implementation timelines)

*Note: Any Member in Good Standing with recall rights can run for any position and vote in all elections. Meaning, even if furloughed, a Member can still run for any position and vote. 

**Reminder: You must be nominated for a position to run for a position. Nomination forms will be sent out with election notices

• Board training for grievance handling & parliamentary procedure training. Workshop for virtual meetings. Grievance handling for stewards coming. Exec leadership training.

• Motion adopted for the creation of a new Bylaw Committee:
  To strike a special temporary Bylaw Committee under Section 15 a) Special Committees of the current Bylaws.
  -Following the acceptance of this motion the board shall hold an election to create the committee within 45 calendar days.
  -This committee will dissolve after its first presentation of amendments to Members, and the conclusion of an election of Members to a permanent Bylaw committee.
  -This committee will consist of up to six (6) Members, comprised of one (1) per base from WestJet, one (1) per base from WestJet Encore and one (1) Member from Swoop.
  -The committee shall select a Chair and a Secretary.

• Motion adopted to present the budgets and income statements to the Membership: located in the Member Portal of cupe4070.ca on the General Membership Meetings page.

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

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

Recall Notice – Swoop (WO) Members - #2 for June 2021

Dear Members,


The Union has been advised by the Company of more recalls to active status for Swoop Members who are currently on furlough. This recall will see a total of 42 Flight Attendants returned to active status. This recall is a result of increased frequency in the WO network heading into the summer:

Recall by Base:
YHM/YYZ: 30

YEG: 12

Swoop will be sending the recall notices for both the YHM/YYZ co-base and YEG by end of day today, Thursday June 3, 2021 and will be effective June 25, 2021 for both bases. Recall will occur based on the Company Service Lists that are published – the same lists that were used to determine those who were placed on inactive status and will be completed in order of the Company Service Lists.

In the Memorandum of Agreement agreed to between the Union and the Company, there exists two (2) options for the time-frame of recall and acceptance by the Member. The Company will execute “Option 2 - Recall.” Members receiving a Notice of Recall will be asked to respond within forty-eight (48) hours either to accept or decline this recall. The recall window will be open for seven (7) days should this not be possible.

To determine if you are eligible for this recall:

• Check the most recent personal email account that you have registered with the Company.

• Ensure to check your ‘spam/junk’ folder as well, just in case.

Ability to decline recall:
As per the MOU executed between Swoop and CUPE Local 4070, if recall is offered to you, you may elect to decline a recall, and await recall in the future should it occur. You may opt to decline any recall until such time as there are no other Members below you on your base’s Company Service List, at which time a decline to recall would be the end of your employment.

Urgency to respond ‘ACCEPT’ or ‘DECLINE’ to Recall Notices:
In previous recalls, the non-response rate (meaning no reply of ‘accept’ or ‘decline’ recall) has been high. As recovery of the industry progresses, recall may approach the lower end of a Company Service List in a specific base at any time.

When a Member does not respond to a recall notice, that Members’ response defaults to ‘DECLINE’. Should recall begin to be offered to Members in instances where there are no further Members below them on the list, the Member would need to accept the recall to their affected base.

NOTE: It will be clearly communicated by the Company to any Member that must accept that particular recall, as per the MOA referenced above. The Union urges Members to read every Notice of Recall carefully to avoid any issues that may arise from not accepting a required recall, should these become necessary.

PLEASE NOTE: Recall Lists in both bases are nearing the bottom. Depending on how many Members accept or decline this recall in each base, a MANDATORY RECALL may be issued following the seven (7) day window for this recall. This will be clearly indicated in the Subject Line of such a recall at that time.

Following this recall there will be a total of 144 active status Members at Swoop, with 56 in YEG and 88 in YHM/YYZ. There remain 74 Members on furlough and we will continue to work with the Company to recall every Member as soon as possible.

Should you have any questions for the Union, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Union via our contact form: www.cupe4070.ca/contact.


In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

Happy International Flight Attendant Day!

Dear Members,

Today is International Flight Attendant Day! It is a day to celebrate all of the amazing work we all do every single day. This year is particularly important to recognize as this last year has been especially challenging. We are immensely proud to represent such a strong group of Members.

For our many Cabin Crew Members who have been working throughout the pandemic, thank you! You have been paramount for getting Canadians home safely, and continuing to get our guests where they need to go across our beautiful country and beyond.

If you are passing through the bases today, please look for your CUPE 4070 Executives and Health and Safety Committee Members from WestJet, WestJet Encore, and Swoop.

To our Members on furlough, we recognize that today’s celebration is not the same without you.  We miss you and we look forward to seeing you in the sky again!

CUPE Airline Division has put together a message for all of our wonderful Cabin Crew Members CLICK HERE.

In Solidarity,
CUPE 4070

International Flight Attendant Day

Dear Members,

International Flight Attendant day is on Monday, May 31.  To celebrate, your CUPE 4070 Occupational Health and Safety Committees and your CUPE 4070 Executive, will be out in the bases May 31st, 2021. We want to thank our crews not only for all your hard work during this difficult year, but also for your continued commitment to keeping yourselves, your colleagues, and our guests safe. 

If you are checking in for a pairing or checking out from a pairing, on Monday May 31st, stop by one of the CUPE offices in your respective base.

YVR CUPE Office is located on the Ground Transportation level, the level below Domestic Arrivals.  From the escalator on Ground Transportation level: Turn right and walk down the hallway past the medical clinic towards Pass Control. Walk past Pass Control and through the double doors.  To the left of the elevators is a hallway, walk straight down (not the hallway marked YVR IT Training Centre) and we are the first door on the left, office B1101.5.

YEG elected representatives will be looking out for you at the airport!
YYC CUPE Office is located on the arrivals level, behind baggage carousal 7
YYZ CUPE Office is located Arrivals T3 next to out of town and Sunwing offices
YHM elected representatives will be looking out for you at the airport!

Our goal is to reach as many Cabin Personnel as possible - we look forward to seeing familiar faces on Monday.

If we miss you Monday, we encourage crews to submit a crew “maskie” (selfie wearing a mask) using the hashtag #internationalflightattendantday, tag @cupe4070 and post to Instagram.

Let’s recognize our incredible colleagues after one of the most difficult years in aviation history.    

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Health and Safety Committees | WestJet, WestJet Encore, and Swoop

Swoop Bargaining Update #3

Dear Members,

Recently your Swoop CUPE 4070 Bargaining Committee continued in collective bargaining with the Company. The most recent round of collective bargaining occurred last week, concluding on Thursday May 20, 2021.

Since our last update, the following Articles have been signed in TA:
- Uniforms
- Printing of the Agreement
- Relocation

The last round of negotiations can be characterized by the Union as productive and respectful. Both sides (Union and Company) appeared to be listening to the other, and each demonstrated efforts to respond to concerns with each pass of the proposals on a given article. Successful collective negotiations involve both parties being open to hearing the concerns of the other, and making meaningful efforts to addressing those concerns, while not giving up one’s own position beyond the point that is acceptable to that side.

This does not mean that one side caves to appease the other. Instead, both sides work to gain sufficient understanding of the needs of the other, to a point that ideas can continue to be exchanged with the goal of coming to mutual agreement. At current, this appears to be the approach of both parties on the majority of articles. We are making progress.

To provide the Membership with perspective in terms of where we are at in the Collective Bargaining process:

Following completion of TAs for each of the planned forty-three (43) articles that will comprise the Swoop proposed Collective Agreement, the final step prior to the conclusion of negotiations will be the bargaining of the all-encompassing monetary and financial package. Essentially, this will be the negotiation of anything throughout all of the tentatively agreed to articles that is related to monetary or financial matters. These articles have been negotiated in principle, with specific dollar or cost amounts that have been left “TBD” or ‘to be determined’. This is common practice in negotiations of first Collective Agreements following Union certification. All TBD references will have their specific value negotiated in the final monetary package.

The Committee, and your CUPE 4070 Executive wishes to assure you that we believe we are well on the way towards presenting Membership with a Tentative Agreement in 2021. Having now completed negotiations on ‘Scheduling’ and ‘Pay Administration’, we feel very good about where we are in this process overall.

The next round of Bargaining for the Swoop Collective Agreement is scheduled for next week, June 1 - 3, 2021. We will update you again following these negotiations.

Bargaining dates are secured into September (should they be necessary) as follows:

June 1 - 3, 2021
June 15 - 17, 2021
June 28 - 30, 2021
August 10 - 12, 2021
August 24 - 26, 2021
September 7 - 9, 2021
September 21 - 23, 2021

As always, if you have questions or require assistance from your Union, please reach out to us at: cupe4070.ca/contact.

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Swoop Bargaining Committee

Education Committee Update

Dear Members,


Many of you have inquired about language courses as well as scholarships/bursaries. Although the scholarships/bursaries have yet to be brought forward and voted on at our General Membership Meeting May 21, 2021, we are pleased to offer some options pertaining to education and language courses offered through many different mediums. We have researched a few options for you, please note these options are not limited to what is presented by your Education Committee on behalf of your CUPE 4070 Executive:

Public Libraries offer Rosetta Stone, Mango Languages, Pronunciator Language Learning, and a variety of language learning options. Check with your local public library for details.

Many Universities offer Language Courses  through Continuing Education and Faculty of Extension programs, many of which are being offered online. Course costs are reflected below (these costs may vary depending on the institution):

Absolute beginners French: $145

French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish Level 1-3: $395 per level

Sign Language: $395


Language Apps:

Babbel: 

1 year subscription: $9.99/month

6 month subscription: $12.99/month

3 month subscription: $14.99/month

*They currently offer a 50% discount on 1 year subscriptions and 35% discount on 6 and 3 month subscriptions.
 

Rosetta Stone:

Lifetime unlimited membership: $179

With Live: $299 (this includes live conversations with real people of language you are learning)

Additional Learning Resources: 

CUPE offers courses to the membership as well, please have a look at what is available through CUPE Union Education. The following workshops are scheduled for May and June:

* Times are local in the province the virtual workshop is being held, please be sure to check the timezone when registering.

May

May 27 - 11:00am-2:00pm - Sexual Harassment Webinar: Resources and Law for Unions and Workers l Canadian Union of Public Employees

May 31 – 5:30pm-6:30pm - Bill 32: Dealing with Difficult People
Bill 32: Dealing with Difficult People | Canadian Union of Public Employees

June

June 4 – 6pm-9pm - Trustee Orientation
LET - Trustee Orientation (OLS) | Canadian Union of Public Employees

June 5 – 9am-noon - Secretary-Treasurer Orientation
Secretary-Treasurer Orientation (OLS) | Canadian Union of Public Employees

June 11 – 9am-4pm – Introduction to Stewarding Part 1 and Part 2– 9am-4pm
Introduction to Stewarding - Part 1 and Part 2 | Canadian Union of Public Employees

June 15 – 5:30pm – 8:30pm - LET – Virtual Membership Meetings
LET - Virtual Membership Meetings (OLS) | Canadian Union of Public Employees

If you have any questions, please contact your CUPE Local 4070 Education Committee at: education@cupe4070.ca or reach out to your Base VP.
 

Coursera:  an American online course provider, which was founded in 2012, who works with other universities and organizations to offer an array of online courses, certificates, and degrees.  Here are a few of their current courses being offered, however not limited to:

• Chinese for Beginners

• Buddhism and Modern Psychology

• Introduction to Yoga and Physiology

• Foundations of Mindfulness

• Financial Markets

• Psychological First Aid

• First Step Korean

• Stanford Introduction to Health

• Principles of Sustainable Finance

Other courses are offered within many different subject, including but not limited to:These are to just mention a few.  They offer courses in many topics…Arts and Humanities (338 courses), Business (1095 courses), Language Learning (150 courses) , Physical Science and Engineering (413 courses), Personal Development (137 courses).  Coursera offers courses for free, with the option to purchase the certificate prior to as well as after completion of the courses.

*Some other sites that are similar to Coursera are: alison.com, shawacademy.com.

We look forward to your attendance for the General Membership Meeting, May 21,2021, where your vote will count towards the future of our LOCAL 4070. For more information on the GMM CLICK HERE.

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Education Committee

Recall Notice – Swoop (WO) Members - June 2021

Dear Members,

The Union has been advised by the Company of further ‘recalls’ to active status for some Swoop Members who are currently on furlough. This recall will see a total of 34 Flight Attendants returned to active status. This recall is a result of increased frequency in the WO network heading into the summer:

Recall by Base:

YHM/YYZ: 22

YEG: 12

Swoop will be sending the recall notices for the YHM/YYZ co-base by end of day today, Thursday May 20, 2021 and will be effective June 11, 2021. Recall notices for the YEG base will be sent out by end of day on Tuesday May 25, 2021. Recall will occur based on the Company Service Lists that are published – the same lists that were used to determine those who were placed on inactive status and will be completed in order of the Company Service Lists.

In the Memorandum of Agreement agreed to between the Union and the Company, there exists two (2) options for the time-frame of recall and acceptance by the Member. The Company will execute “Option 2 - Recall.”Members receiving a Notice of Recall will have seven (7) days to respond either to accept or decline this recall.

To determine if you are eligible for this recall:

• Check the most recent personal email account that you have registered with the Company.

• Ensure to check your ‘spam/junk’ folder as well, just in case.

Ability to decline recall:

As per the MOU executed between Swoop and CUPE Local 4070, if recall is offered to you, you may elect to decline a recall, and await recall in the future should it occur. You may opt to decline any recall until such time as there are no other Members below you on your base’s Company Service List, at which time a decline to recall would be the end of your employment.

Urgency to respond ‘ACCEPT’ or ‘DECLINE’ to Recall Notices:

In previous recalls, the non-response rate (meaning no reply of ‘accept’ or ‘decline’ recall) has been high. As recovery of the industry progresses, recall may approach the lower end of a Company Service List in a specific base at any time.

When a Member does not respond to a recall notice, that Members’ response defaults to ‘DECLINE’. Should recall begin to be offered to Members in instances where there are no further Members below them on the list, the Member would need to accept the recall to their affected base.

NOTE: It will be clearly communicated by the Company to any Member that must accept that particular recall, as per the MOA referenced above. The Union urges Members to read every Notice of Recall carefully to avoid any issues that may arise from not accepting a required recall, should these become necessary.

Following this recall there will be a total of 107 active status Members at Swoop, with 48 in YEG and 59 in YHM/YYZ. There remain 128 Members on furlough and we will continue to work with the Company to recall every Member as soon as possible.

Should you have any questions for the Union, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Union via our contact form: www.cupe4070.ca/contact.


In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

General Membership Meeting UPDATE - May 21, 2021

Dear Members,

The next General Membership Meeting (GMM) will take place on May 21, 2021 at 12:00PT / 13:00MT / 15:00ET.  All Members in Good Standing of CUPE Local 4070 are encouraged to attend. 

**Please note: General Membership Meetings are only open to Members in Good Standing. To sign a card and pay the $5 initiation fee, please visit www.cupe4070.ca/signacard. Please ensure you have signed your card at least 24 hours prior to the GMM to ensure it is processed.

Due to COVID and ongoing public health orders prohibiting in person gatherings, the GMM will be held live via Zoom. 

You will not be able to attend the GMM without registering. Registration will be open from now through the GMM. Once your registration is approved, you will be sent a link for the meeting. We ask that you register as soon as possible to ensure us time to approve your registration.

Click here to register for the GMM

***Please call or log on prior to the start of the GMM. This will put you in the waiting room until the start of the meeting. If you encounter any technical difficulties, please email Communications@cupe4070.ca and include your name, workgroup, and employee number***

The Meeting Agenda, Secretary Treasurer's Performance Report, and meeting minutes from the last GMM (held on August 6, 2020 in YVR) will be posted  in the Member’s Portal cupe4070.ca no later than 24 hours prior to the start of this GMM. 

If you have not registered for the Member’s Portal please find the instructions below:

WestJet Members

WestJet Encore Members

Swoop Members

Priority Agenda Items:

• Bargaining for WO and WR

• Elections

• WS Collective Agreement - MSL and Implementation Timelines

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are attending the GMM via the phone number provided in the invitation, you will not be able to vote on any motions brought to the floor. You will only be able to vote when attending the GMM from the Zoom app or web link.

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

Swoop Bargaining Update #2

Dear Members,

Over the past number of weeks, your Swoop CUPE 4070 Bargaining Committee has been engaged in collective bargaining with the Company. The Committee has made excellent progress towards the goal of having a Tentative Agreement (TA) for the Membership to vote on as soon as possible, thereby forming our first ever Swoop Union Collective Agreement.

The most recent round of collective bargaining occurred this week, concluding yesterday, Thursday May 6, 2021.

Since our last update, the following Articles have been signed in TA:

• Union Flight Release

• Leaves of Absence

• Expenses

• Vacation, Statutory Holidays and Guaranteed Days Off (GDO)

• Reserve

• Scheduling

• Union Communication

• Discrimination or Harassment

• Compassionate Transfers

• Pay Administration

• Charter Operations and Special Purpose Flights

• Ad Hoc Assignments

By successfully completing negotiations of these twelve (12) Articles, including the two largest and most complex in the entire Agreement (Scheduling and Pay Administration), the Committee is on track towards delivering a full Tentative Agreement to you in 2021, baring significant roadblocks that at this time, we do not foresee. As we progress through the approximately twenty (20) remaining Articles in the next few months, we will provide further guidance as to estimated timelines for presenting the full Tentative Agreement to you for ratification.

The next scheduled Swoop bargaining is: May 18 - 20, 2021. Dates have been agreed to between the parties through September 2021, should they be necessary.

If you have questions regarding bargaining, reach out at: weare4070@cupe4070.ca.

As always, if you require assistance from your Union reach out to us: cupe4070.ca/contact.



In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Swoop Bargaining Committee

May 2021 Recall Notice – Swoop Members

Dear Members,

The Union has been advised by the Company of another round of ‘recalls’ to active status (back-to-work) for some Swoop Members who are currently inactive. This recall will see a total of 13 Flight Attendants returned to active status. This recall is a result of increased frequency in the WO network:

Required Recall by Base:
7 - YEG
6 - YHM/YYZ

Swoop will be sending the recall notices on Monday May 3, 2021 by end of day and will be effective May 7, 2021. Recall will occur based on the Company Service Lists that are published – the same lists that were used to determine those who were placed on inactive status and will be completed in order of the Company Service Lists.

In the Memorandum of Agreement agreed to between the Union and the Company, there exists two (2) options for the time-frame of recall and acceptance by the Member. The Company will execute the ‘Expedited Recall‘ Option 1 as outlined in the MOA (Articles 6 & 7).

To determine if you are eligible for this recall:

Check the personal email account that you registered with the Company when you began your inactive status. Ensure to check your ‘spam/junk’ folder as well, just in case. The Company will provide your official recall notice which will be marked in part “EXPEDITED RECALL” to this email address.

As indicated, this recall is being executed under the ‘Expedited Recall’ and Members eligible for recall will only have 48 HOURS to accept a recall should they desire.

Ability to decline recall:
As per the MOU executed between Swoop and CUPE Local 4070, if recall is offered to you, you may elect to decline a recall, and await recall in the future should it occur. You may opt to decline any recall until such time as there are no other Members below you on your base’s Company Service List, at which time a decline to recall would be the end of your employment.
This recall will see a new total of 74 active status Members at Swoop, with 36 in YEG and 38 in YHM/YYZ as of May 7, 2021.

Should you have any questions for the Union, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Union via our contact form: www.cupe4070.ca/contact.


In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

National Day of Mourning

Hello CUPE 4070 Members,
 
On April 28th of each year, the National Day of Mourning is a chance for us to remember and reflect on those that have been hurt or have died on the job. Roughly 1000 workers a year in Canada lose their lives, and we as your Heath & Safety Committee Members believe this is too high and strive everyday to prevent this number from increasing.

We have been hit hard by this pandemic and have had Members directly impacted from Covid-19. The sacrifices made over the last 13 months has been nothing short of amazing, and we can now finally see some light at the end of the tunnel.  Thank you!

Our goal moving forward is to support our Members with increased awareness, better legislation, and the resources necessary to keep us safe.

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Health & Safety Committee
WestJet - ws.ohs@cupe4070.ca
WestJet Encore - wr.ohs@cupe4070.ca
Swoop - wo.ohs@cupe4070.ca
 

Watch a message from CUPE’s National Officers

April 19, 2021 Recall Notice – Swoop Members

Dear Members,

The Union has been advised by the Company of another round of ‘recalls’ to active status (back-to-work) for some Swoop Members who are currently inactive. This recall will see a total of 12 Flight Attendants in the YEG base returned to active status. This recall is a result of an influx of Members being removed from duty as a result of COVID-19 contact tracing.

We are pleased to inform you that the recalls for Swoop have been released today by the Company and will be effective April 19, 2021. Recall will occur based on the Company Service Lists that are published – the same lists that were used to determine those who were placed on inactive status and will be completed in order of the Company Service Lists.

In the Memorandum of Agreement agreed to between the Union and the Company, there exists two (2) options for the time-frame of recall and acceptance by the Member. The Company will execute the ‘Expedited Recall‘ Option 1 as outlined in the MOA (Articles 6 & 7).

To determine if you are eligible for this recall:

Check the personal email account that you registered with the Company when you began your inactive status. Ensure to check your ‘spam/junk’ folder as well, just in case. The Company will provide your official recall notice which will be marked in part “EXPEDITED RECALL” to this email address.

As indicated, this recall is being executed under the ‘Expedited Recall’ and Members eligible for recall will only have 48 HOURS to accept a recall should they desire.

Ability to decline recall:
As per the MOU executed between Swoop and CUPE Local 4070, if recall is offered to you, you may elect to decline a recall, and await recall in the future should it occur. You may opt to decline any recall until such time as there are no other Members below you on your base’s Company Service List, at which time a decline to recall would be the end of your employment.

While the Union and the Employer are committed to recalling everyone who has been placed on inactive status as soon as possible, there are no guarantees of when and how many Members will be recalled in the future – this will ultimately be determined by customer demand. Please keep this in mind if you choose to decline an offer of recall.

Should you have any questions for the Union, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Union via our contact form: www.cupe4070.ca/contact.


In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

National Survey on Harassment and Violence at Work

Dear Members,

As a chartered Local of CUPE, Local 4070 is affiliated with The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). The CLC Women’s Advisory Committee is conducting a national survey on workplace violence and harassment. This survey is open to workers of all genders and results of this research will inform policy and education initiatives on workplace violence and sexual harassment. 

Take the survey now

The survey is being conducted by the Canadian Labour Congress in partnership with research experts at Western University. It is the first ever survey on violence and sexual harassment with a national reach in Canada, and will help unions, employers, and policy makers create safer workplaces for everyone.

This survey is for everyone - whether or not you have experienced or witnessed workplace violence or harassment. It will take approximately 10 to 30 minutes to complete, and all respondents will remain anonymous.

Your participation makes a difference! Thank you for helping make work safer for everyone.

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

CUPE 4070 General Membership Meeting - May 2021

Dear WestJet Members,

We are excited to announce the next General Membership Meeting (GMM) for CUPE Local 4070. Due to the restrictions created by the pandemic the GMM will be held virtually:

Friday May 21, 2021 

12:00PT / 13:00MT / 15:00ET  - 13:00PT / 14:00MT / 16:00ET

Location: Zoom

All Members In Good Standing (have signed a card and paid the $5 initiation fee) are eligible to participate. The meeting will be 60 minutes and dedicated to the official meeting agenda, and allow motions from the floor.

If you have not signed a card and would like to participate you can sign your card here.

The General Membership Meeting will be held over Zoom Webinar. Information on how to attend will be released in early May.

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

You Matter

Dear Members,

It has been now a year since the pandemic decimated our industry. A year since we either had to say goodbye for a while, or see our friends go without knowing when we would see them in the skies again.
This virus has affected us all, every person encountered unique challenges, and continues to. We have been through moments we never thought we would. We have learned, we have cried, we have lost contact with those we love; some of you may have lost a loved one.

For those of you still flying, thank you. Thank you for continuing to smile and making a difference in the lives of those who work with you as well as our guests. I admire your resilience and your positivity. Thank you for continuing to show up, regardless of the weather, different schedules for buses, trains and life in general. We know how hard you work. No matter where we are in the organization, we are all part of an ever-growing spider’s web and depend on each other to keep strength and unity: our solidarity.

For those of you who are not flying with us now, know that you are missed. We want you back as soon as possible. We cannot wait to see you strutting through the airports and down the aisles of our beautiful Magenta accented aircrafts. We cannot wait to hug you again and see your smiles during a crew change, we cannot wait to catch up on a layover, or meet for a coffee on a day off…. WE CANNOT WAIT.

It's just not the same without you. You are part of the Swoop family, and I want to make sure you know how important you are. YOU MATTER.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or anyone of your elected union representatives, regardless of whether you are Active or Inactive. We are Swoop, we are CUPE 4070.

I am here for you if you need me, as is the entire team across your union local: cupe4070.ca/contact

Again, YOU MATTER!!! Be safe 😊.


In Solidarity,
Allam Ramsaran, CUPE 4070 WO Base VP

Union Clarification on Company Announcement re: Eastern Service Resumption

Dear Members,

You may have seen the Company press release and/or media coverage that WestJet and WestJet Encore will be resuming services in June to: Quebec City, Moncton, Fredericton, Charlottetown and Sydney, NS.

The Union was provided a briefing on this news by the Company on Tuesday, March 23, 2021. We would like to share with our Membership the context surrounding this announcement, and its implications for our Membership.

At present, across all three networks, we are only operating approximately 8% of the capacity that we were prior to the pandemic. The resumption of service to these five stations will increase that capacity by only 1%, for a total network capacity of 9% of pre-pandemic levels.

Based on today’s announcement, combined with the fact that current active Members are blocked significantly lower than their minimum monthly guarantee (MMG), the Company has indicated that this news will not result in recalls at any of the three airlines for Cabin Crew or Pilots.

While this news does not immediately mean recalls for our Members, signs of progress and rebuilding are positive, and always welcome.

We will continue to keep you informed as information related to recovery, route or destination returns, and ultimately, recall information becomes known to the Union.

This has been a long and very difficult time for all of our Members, whether active or not. Please know that each of us elected to represent you recognize this, and we will continue to lobby governments on all of our behalf, along with the CUPE Airline Division and with our Employer. We remain hopeful that further into the summer we will see more restrictions lifted and further signs of recovery for our Company and our sector overall.

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

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

WestJet (WS) Members Ratify First Ever Collective Agreement

Dear WestJet Encore and Swoop Members,


We are excited to report that the WestJet (WS) Members of our Local have ratified their first Collective Agreement with their Employer on Saturday March 20, 2021 following a 24 month negotiation.

All CUPE Local 4070 Members in the WestJet (WS) bargaining unit immediately fall under their binding Collective Agreement (CA).

Full attention of the Local and CUPE National representatives are now focused on obtaining Tentative Agreements at both the Swoop (WO) and WestJet Encore (WR) negotiating tables.

We have added an aggressive schedule of bargaining dates at both tables in the next eight (8) to ten (10) weeks, with the goal of presenting Tentative Agreements to each bargaining unit Membership as quickly as possible, while ensuring the best possible language is negotiated for our working conditions.

Current confirmed dates for bargaining are:

Swoop (WO)
March 23-25, 2021
April 14-16, 2021
May 4-6, 2021
May 18-20, 2021
June 1-3, 2021
June 15-17, 2021
June 28-30, 2021
 
WestJet Encore (WR)
April 7-9, 2021
April 20-23, 2021
May 11-13, 2021
May 25-27, 2021
June 8-10, 2021
June 21-24, 2021
 
Please join in congratulating our brothers and sisters from WS in ratification of their very first, historic Collective Agreement. We eagerly await the celebration of reaching the final steps in both the WR and WO Collective Agreements for each bargaining unit.

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


In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team