WestJet (WS) Master Seniority List – April 2022 Release

Dear WestJet Members,

The updated MSL has been published and the dispute period opens today, April 1, 2022, in accordance with Article 15 of the Collective Agreement.

15-2 CABIN PERSONNEL MASTER SENIORITY LIST
15-2.01 The Company shall maintain a Master Seniority List (MSL) for Cabin Personnel.

The MSL shall be published twice annually, on the first Calendar Day of April and the first Calendar Day of October, with a copy to the Union. The MSL shall be posted electronically on the Company intranet and on Cabin Crew Devices (CCD), and shall remain there until replaced by an updated list. 

15-3 CORRECTION TO MASTER SENIORITY LIST 
15-3.01 A Cabin Personnel shall have thirty (30) Calendar Days following publication of the MSL to contest, in writing, to the designated Labour Relations representative, any alleged error or omission related to them. 

15-3.02 A Cabin Personnel may not contest the same alleged error or omission twice. 

If you wish to dispute your position on the April 2022 MSL, please follow the link provided by the Company (“Master Seniority List Dispute form”) in your Company e-mail. 

• The Union and the Employer will meet to discuss any disputes arising from the MSL prior to the dispute period closing 

• The Union will post the updated MSL behind the Member’s Portal (www.cupe4070.ca) 

• The Union has requested that JDE reflect MSL verbiage for Global and Base filtered seniority, which the Company will action 

• Upon the completion of the April dispute period and finalization of the MSL, the Union will publish the MSL by base behind the Member’s Portal. There is only one Master Seniority List. The CA does not speak to MSL filtered by base; this is a Union initiative requested by the Membership. The Company will not be publishing a Base filtered MSL.

To set-up access to the website Portal, please click on this email.

Should you have any questions or require further information, please contact the Union at www.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

WS Scheduling Review Committee – Seniority Bidding Update #1

Dear WestJet Members, 

We would like to provide you with an update on Seniority Bidding. We know that there have been many questions and a heightened sense of anticipation amongst the membership as the bidding date for our first seniority-based schedule is fast approaching.

On Feb 9th, the Local 4070 Scheduling Review Committee (SRC), Communications Committee, and the Company met to discuss the prospect of a collaborative communication strategy. The Company and the SRC discussed the development of a strategic plan, including communication, videos, a microsite, emails, and support in each base.

The SRC and the company will be meeting daily through the first seniority bidding process. The Communications Committee and Executive has been and will continue to attend these meetings with the SRC to capture points for Membership communication about this process.  

What is the Union’s scope in this process?
As per the collective agreement, the Union’s scope is to ensure that the Collective Agreement is adhered to. 

What does the SRC do?
We work collaboratively with our counterparts at the Company to ensure CA language is followed and discuss scheduling implementation and any associated challenges. We are not directly involved in the development or implementation of the software, the Company is overseeing and implementing this bidding system. The SRC is tasked with ensuring that what was promised is delivered. In this respect, the SRC has been working tirelessly to obtain information from the Company about where we are at in the process, associated timelines, and when training is to occur per LOU #1, since the first quarterly meeting held in September 2021. 

...The Parties recognize that such a transition is a significant change to how Cabin Personnel bid their monthly schedules and the Company agrees to work collaboratively with Union representatives of the Scheduling Review Committee throughout the transition. Furthermore, the Company commits to training the Schedule Review Committee on the functionality of the seniority-based preferential bidding system for the purposes of carrying out their duties pursuant to Article 34 – Scheduling (34-2.02). - LOU#1 

IMPORTANT: April bids are live. If you have already bid for May, this bid is active for seniority bidding. However, if you have a standing bid entered from previous months, your standing bid is not active and you will have to re-enter it. The new options and attributes will be added to Wings on April 1. We encourage everyone to place bids after the new attributes have been added. 

We will be bidding using the current Wings website, and apart from a few bidding options, the website will continue to look and function the same as it does today. The main difference will be what is happening in the background with the seniority solver as well as the extra options available in the drop-down menu. 

Upon its launch in May, there will be 16 bid lines. The Union recognizes that 16 lines may not be enough and will be diligently meeting with the Company to provide our Members with what they need to make the seniority bidding system a success. Most options will remain the same, however there will be extra added options as outlined in the Transition to Seniority Bidding microsite on Westnet.  

One of the biggest requests from our Membership was to have the ability to bid on specific pairing numbers and dates. The SRC brought those concerns to the Company and were successful in obtaining that request. It should be noted as well that the equalizer will be abolished and there will be no minimum days to work. If you are senior enough to work 8-9, 10 hour one-day pairings, then you will only be scheduled 8-9 days for the month.  

The option to bid for AM/PM reserve will be live for May schedules.

What other changes can I expect going forward? 
- The Company will publish the electronic bid packages by 09:00MT on the 9th.
- Bidding will close at 09:00MT on the 12th.  
- Schedules will be published no later than 19:00MT on the 21st.  

What support is available for Members? 
We have been consistently capturing your questions and concerns and we have been working with the Company on continuous communication and microsite content. Members of the SRC will be available in the Crew Rooms on April 9, 10, and 11. More information on this to follow. 

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 WestJet Scheduling Review Committee
WS YVR, Sarah Ferraro
WS YYC, Shelly MacDonald
WS YYZ, Calvin Gautschi
&
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

Canadian Residency Declaration

Dear WestJet Members, 

Earlier today, the Company sent all WestJet Cabin Personnel a communication via e-mail to confirm that Canadian residency is an ongoing term and condition of employment at WestJet. To ensure this is clear, Canadian residency means that you primarily reside at a location within Canada. We urge you to read the Company communication thoroughly if this may apply to you. 

If any Cabin Personnel, whether active or inactive (including layoff), primarily reside in a country other than Canada, you are required to disclose to the Company by April 6, 2022, using the form link in the email sent to all WestJet Cabin Personnel. 

The Company has confirmed that there will be no discipline issued for Cabin Personnel who are currently not primarily residing in Canada and who have disclosed this to WestJet by April 6, 2022. 

For any Cabin Personnel who declare their non-Canadian residency using the process above, please reach out to the Union to discuss your options and next steps at: https://www.cupe4070.ca/residency-contact 

As always, if you require representation or have any concerns, please reach out to your Union: 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

WS Scheduling Review Committee - Reserve Update

Dear Members,

This communication is being sent out regarding issues that have been consistently trending around reserve. Prior to addressing these issues though, we would like to first and foremost express our gratitude and thanks to our CCMs. We know that these times continue to be challenging, and we thank each of you for all the incredible work you do every day. Recalls are now complete, and we would like to welcome back all our CCMs! And finally, thank you to all the CCMs that have taken the time to document and follow up on perceived misapplications and violations of reserve callouts and assignments. Properly documenting these issues gives your union reps the tools to act and address these issues.

The Union has identified and brought forth to the Employer several inconsistencies with reserve across the bases. What we are seeing is call outs being done out of order of reverse seniority; types of reserve, including ASR and RTD, are being incorrectly assigned; and inconsistencies surrounding flex reserve. Your Scheduling Review Committee (SRC) has been working in collaboration with all the Base VPs to trend these issues and are working to hold the employer accountable for not following the language in the agreement as it pertains to reserve. As the Employer holds CCMs accountable to our work rules, so should we hold the Employer accountable to follow our agreement.

If you believe you think have been called out of seniority order, and/or assigned ASR or RFX incorrectly, please reach out to your DPM and CC your CUPE 4070 Scheduling Review Committee (ws.src@cupe4070.ca).

Note, it is important that the correct procedure be followed for your union to be able to advocate for you.  Please contact your DPM via email to have an informal discussion regarding the matter.  Be sure to CC the SRC (ws.src@cupe4070.ca) and provide the following details: 

• Type of reserve assigned (RAM/RPM/ASR/RTD/RFX) 

• Day of reserve duty 

• Assignment (pairing details) 

• Employee # & MSL # 

• What the violation was that occurred 

Also, please be aware that you are responsible to ensure that all subsequent emails between you and your DPM continue to include your Union so that we can follow up. 

Flex Reserve (RFX) - Update
We know that there have been questions around assignment of RFX. The concerns brought forth regarding RFX falls into two main categories; the first being that we were seeing anywhere from 1-6 people being assigned RFX, and the second being that these people are often all being assigned different start/end times for the RFX block. Reserve holders are being organized into reserve ‘buckets’; RAM, RFX, and RPM, and the Employer is assigning reserve by reverse seniority from these ‘buckets’. Your Union is taking issue with the lack of transparency that results from creating multiple RFX ‘buckets’ in terms of seniority based and ‘best fit’ callouts.

The SRC has been meeting with the Employer on an ongoing basis and will continue to do so in order to come to a solution that works for our members, as well as the operation. Starting in April the Company will be trialing the assignment of RFX with parameters that have been agreed upon by the union. RFX will be assigned to a maximum of 3 CCMs per day, except in cases of an IROP. All Cabin Personnel on RFX will hold the same callout window, except for instances of an IROP, to mitigate the current scenario where there are several callout windows, essentially creating the ability to circumvent seniority. Pairings will be assigned to RAM and RPM prior to assigning to RFX. This trial will extend until the end of May and reviewed by the SRC with the Company prior to May 9 to determine its effectiveness. Please refer to your Collective Agreement;

35-5.03 As operationally required, the Company may schedule a flexible Reserve period which will fit between 0600 LBT and 2100 LBT with a call out window no longer than twelve (12) hours.

35-5.04 For North American operations: 

b) A Cabin Personnel assigned a flexible Reserve Period will not be required to operate a Red-eye Flight in the first duty period of an assigned pairing without the Cabin Personnel’s consent. 

35-5.05 The Company may contact a Reserve Holder between 1000 LBT and 2000 LBT at least twelve (12) hours before the commencement of a Reserve Block to convert AM Reserve Periods to flexible Reserve Periods for a Reserve Block. This shall be assigned by reverse seniority. Once AM Reserve Periods are converted to flexible Reserve Periods, the call-out window for that Reserve Block will not be further modified. 

As we continue discussions with the employer to rectify these misapplications and violations of our reserve rules, we ask for your continued respect when communicating with crew scheduling.  The Crew Scheduling department has welcomed many new staff members to their team recently, all of whom are working to learn and understand the rules of our Collective Agreement.  Likewise, we ask that each of you also take the time to read and fully understand the reserve processes as they are outlined in our agreement.   

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your elected representatives: cupe4070.ca/contact.

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 WestJet Scheduling Review Committee
WS YVR, Sarah Ferraro
WS YYC, Shelly MacDonald
WS YYZ, Calvin Gautschi
&
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

March/April 2022 By-election (Copy)

Dear Members,

We are now ready to run a by-election for various positions. I would like to thank you all for your patience as I worked through a significant change to our Membership numbers over the last month or so. After receiving an updated Member list from each Company, there were several more changes that came and needed to be worked through to ensure we have a full account of our Membership.

There are no Swoop specific vacancies during this round of elections. A future by-election is planned in coordination with the first flow classes from WO to WS. 

Some of the following positions will be airline and base specific. The position of President of CUPE 4070 is open to all eligible Members from any of our 3 units.

The following positions are term positions, ending in November 2022:

CUPE 4070 
President 

WestJet 
Any Base:  
Women’s Committee - x1

WestJet YVR: 
Bylaw Review Committee - x1 
Union Steward - x3 

WestJet YYC: 
Commuter Committee - x1 
Union Steward - x2

WestJet YYZ: 
Union Steward - x2 

WestJet Encore 
Any Base: 
Communications Committee - x1 
Hotel & Transportation Committee - x1 

WestJet Encore YYC: 
Scheduling Review Committee - x1 
Union Steward - x1 

WestJet Encore YYZ: 
Union Steward - x1 

Please take note of the following timelines: 

Nominations OPEN: Wednesday March 16, 2022 @ 03:00 PT / 04:00 MT / 06:00 ET 

Nominations CLOSE: Tuesday March 22, 2022 @ 15:00 PT / 16:00 MT / 18:00 ET 

Nomination Acceptance Email OUT: Wednesday March 23, 2022 – minimum 48hour notice 

Nomination Acceptance DUE: Friday March 25, 2022 @ 15:00 PT / 16:00 MT / 18:00 ET 

Resume/Info Sheet DUE: Saturday March 26, 2022 @ 15:00 PT / 16:00 MT / 18:00 ET 

Elections START: Sunday March 27, 2022 @ 03:00 PT / 04:00 MT / 06:00 ET 

Elections END: Saturday April 2, 2022 @ 15:00 PT / 16:00 MT / 18:00 ET 

All WestJet CUPE 4070 Members In Good Standing (signed card and paid $5 Membership fee) can nominate other Members In Good Standing and participate in the voting process. If you wish to participate in this election round 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 nominations or elections end for processing. SIGN A CARD HERE 

Nomination Forms: 

CUPE 4070 - President
WestJet
WestJet Encore

All nomination forms must be filled out electronically or printed and scanned and sent by email to: elections@cupe4070.ca by Tuesday March 22, 2022 @ 15:00 PT / 16:00 MT / 18:00 ET.

Please include the position and the nominee's 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) 

• Base specific positions require the nominee and the nominator to be based in the same base and working for the same unit. 

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

• You cannot nominate yourself. 

Nomination Acceptance: 
Beginning on Wednesday March 23, 2022, 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 Friday March 25, 2022 @ 15:00 PT / 16:00 MT / 18:00 ET to accept or decline their nomination. 

If you have been 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/Info Sheet: 
All nominees that accept their nomination will be given the opportunity to provide a one (1) page (standard 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 for review.

Nominees must send their resume/info sheet in PDF format to: elections@cupe4070.ca by Saturday March 26, 2022 @ 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:
Elections START: Sunday March 27, 2022 @ 03:00 PT / 04:00 MT / 06:00 ET 

Elections END: Saturday April 2, 2022 @ 15:00 PT / 16:00 MT / 18:00 ET 

Electoral Officer: 
The Electoral Officer for this by-election will be Sylvia Alves, WestJet Cabin Crew Member and Communications Committee Chair - YYC Base. 

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

LETTER OF UNDERSTANDING (LOU) #7 – Wide-body North American Maximum Planned Duty Periods (Copy)

Dear WestJet Members,

We are pleased to inform you that because of discussions that occurred between the Union and the Company, we have reached an understanding regarding wide-body North American maximum planned duty periods.

You can review LOU #7 by clicking on this link. The LOU has been pushed to your CCD. We will also upload the document on our website.

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

Special Membership Meeting Reminder (Copy)

Dear Members,

This email is a reminder that we will be holding a Special Membership Meeting (SMM) on Monday March 7, 2022 at 11:00 PT / 12:00 MT / 14:00 ET to discuss and approve the CUPE 4070 budget.

This will be our 3rd attempt at passing a budget. We were unable to pass one at the November 2021 General Membership meeting due to a lack of time. Another General Membership Meeting was held 45 days later in December 2021 where quorum was not met.

We currently have 25 Members signed up for the meeting. The CUPE 4070 Bylaws speaks to Special Membership Meetings and quorum as follows:

SECTION 5 – MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS
(b) Special Membership Meetings of Local 4070 may be required and shall be called by the Board or may be requested in writing by no fewer than five percent (5%) of the total membership. The President shall immediately advise members when a Special Membership Meeting is called and ensure that all members receive at least twenty-four (24) hours’ notice of the Special Membership Meeting, the subject(s) to be discussed, the date, time and location. No business shall be transacted at the Special Membership Meeting other than that for which the meeting is called, and notice given.

(c) Quorum The minimum number of members required to be in attendance for the transaction of business at any General or Special meeting shall be forty (40) members, plus at least two (2) members of the Board. Should quorum not be obtained at any General Membership Meeting, the Board shall have the authority to conduct the business of the Local and will report at the next General Membership Meeting.

Members in Good Standing (that have signed a Union Card) are asked to sign-up for our Teams Meeting using this link:

Meeting Sign-up

The SMM will start at 11:00 PT / 12:00 MT / 14:00 ET

Documents:
Special Membership Meeting documents are now posted on the CUPE 4070 website for review. Please log in to the Portal by following this link: https://www.cupe4070.ca/portal

The documents for review are located in the General Membership Meeting / Special Membership Meeting tab:

• Agenda

• CUPE4070 Proposed Budget March-December 2022

• CUPE4070 Cash Accounts Expenditures Statement 2021-12-01 to 2022-03-01

Website Access:
If you need to set-up Portal access, please follow the appropriate link below:

Work Group: WestJet
Visit www.cupe4070.ca/westjet-sign-up

Work Group: WestJet Encore
Visit www.cupe4070.ca/westjet-encore-sign-up

Work Group: Swoop
Visit www.cupe4070.ca/swoop-sign-up

Then:
Enter password: CUPE4070
Click the “Subscribe” link
Complete the registration form
You will receive an email confirmation. Follow the steps in the email.

We look forward to seeing you there!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, 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

WestJet’s Acquisition of Sunwing (Copy)

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

Special Membership Meeting - Budget: Sign-up Form (Copy)

Dear Members,

As a reminder, we will be holding a Special Membership Meeting (SMM) on March 7, 2022. This SMM is specific to the operating budget for the Local.

Special Membership Meetings differ from General Membership Meetings in that “no business shall be transacted at the Special Membership Meeting other than that for which the meeting is called, and notice is given.” More information on Special Membership Meetings can be found in Section 5b of the CUPE 4070 Bylaws.

Members in Good Standing (that have signed a Union Card) are asked to sign-up for our Teams Meeting using this link:

Meeting Sign-up

The SMM will start at 11:00 PT / 12:00 MT / 14:00 ET

We look forward to seeing you there!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, 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

Black History Month 2022 - 2

Hello Colleagues,

As we make our way through February, Black History Month, we continue to celebrate and honor the legacy of Black Canadians and their communities. Black History Month also provides us with an invaluable opportunity to take the time to better understand how we as individuals and Cabin Crew Members can learn to everyday honour, uplift and respect the voices and lives of all Black people within our communities and workplace.

Throughout the month we have taken the time to get to know some of our local CUPE 4070 Black members and engaged with them in discussions about their experiences on the line. Our intention in doing so was to highlight something that each one of us can do every day to lend our support to Black people. So, we asked our Black CUPE 4070 members to share with us questions, comments or assumptions that have been directed at them that were hurtful or upsetting?

What follows is a list of some of the responses we received from our Black CCMs:

• Can I touch your hair?  

• Is that your hair real? 

• Is English your first language?  

• Where are you from?  

• Did you grow up in Canada?  

• You look so exotic 

Each of these questions, comments, or assumptions can be classified as ‘microaggressions’. The definition of a microaggression is: the everyday, subtle, intentional — and oftentimes unintentional — interactions or behaviors that communicate some sort of bias toward historically marginalized groups. Understanding what microaggressions are and the impact they can have on those they are directed towards is an important teaching moment for each and every one of us about how we can more respectfully communicate with and honor Black persons. 

There are a number of great resources available to help understand microaggressions and how we can avoid and learn from them.  We have included the links to three such articles below:

• https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/2021/10/22/50-things-not-to-say-to-black-people/https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/2021/10/22/50-things-not-to-say-to-black-people/

• https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/culturally-speaking/202005/you-ve-committed-microaggression-now-what

  
More information on microaggressions are also highlighted in the videos provided below:  

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE7FqMXWvUw

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq4OM5EUOsc

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSyqOGxkIeQ

 
We sincerely hope that Black History Month be a time of reflection, listening, and learning as we move towards greater solidarity with Black people, Black communities, and our fellow Black crew members. 

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Committee Against Racism and Discrimination (CARD)

Ottawa Layovers - Update #1

Dear Members,

The Company has informed the Union that with the announcement that the Emergencies Act being revoked, this may cause uncertainty of what is going to happen in the YOW downtown core. They have made the decision to relocate our crew scheduled to overnight in downtown Ottawa once again for the safety of our crew and to protect the operation.

Currently, only WS crew are impacted as there are no long stay overnights scheduled for Encore during these dates.

The Company will re-evaluate this again on Monday morning and hopefully, we can resume YOW downtown overnights as of March 1.


In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Hotel and Transportation Committee

Seniority Bidding Update #1

Dear WestJet Members,

The Scheduling Review Committee (SRC) met with the Company again today, February 16, 2022, to finalize the rollout strategy surrounding seniority bidding.

The Union and the Company are working as a joint committee to deliver educational tools, and information to you, our Members. Please stand by for more information coming from the Company on February 23, 2022!

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Scheduling Review Committee

48-HOUR REMINDER: Recall Notice - WestJet (WS) Members - February 2022 #3

Dear Members,

This is a 48-hour reminder for the current MANDATORY recall for WestJet (WS) Members based in YYC sent on February 8, 2022. The 7 day MANDATORY recall notice will end on February 15, 2022.

Please review the original email sent to WestJet Members on February 8, 2022 here.

IMPORTANT: The return to work is mandatory and there is no option to defer. If you decline the recall, or do not respond, this will be deemed your resignation from WestJet.

Please reach out to the Union at www.cupe4070.ca/contact should you have further questions.

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

WestJet Members – Vacancy Bids

Dear WestJet Members, 

The Union has been working with the Company since Friday January 28, 2022, to evaluate and resolve the many complexities of a workplace recovery plan. These discussions covered agreements on out-of-base recalls, potential vacancy bids and Leaves of Absence, how these pieces all fit, and the timing required for each process. 

As you can imagine, there have been many unique situations to contemplate and challenges to overcome since March 2020. Each of these situations, and challenges, required many hours of internal discussion between the Union and the Company. The Union is very grateful that energy can now be focused on full-recovery. We are delighted that we will soon have all our Members back on the line. 

Crystal Hill, CUPE 4070 Interim President, and Brigitte Benoit, CUPE 4070 Interim Vice-President, in consultation with the CUPE 4070 Executive and CUPE National Representatives, have been in close discussions with the Company regarding vacancy bids. The discussions surrounding vacancy bids have been ongoing since Tuesday, February 8, 2022. 

The Union is elated that Full-Time vacancies in YVR, YYC and YYZ bases are being offered. Due to the current constraints of completing recall, flow and initial training, all vacancy bids placed by Members will be awarded, as a one-time exception. Future bids will advise of anticipated vacancies based on operational requirements.

For Members in YYC who are still on inactive status and unable to participate in this vacancy bid, the Union worked with the Company to offer out-of-base recall to address the timing of the first vacancy bid and Members inability to participate.

Effective date 

Awarded bids for YVR and YYZ will take effect for the April 1, 2022 blocking month. Awarded bids for YYC will take effect for May 1, 2022 blocking month 

Bid selection 

As per Article 24-2 Vacancy Bid, you may only bid for one vacancy. You will be able to update, change or remove your bid until bidding closes on Sunday February 20, 2022 at 23:59MT. To remove or cancel your bid, please email inflightcommunications@westjet.com prior to the identified closing date. 

- Only place a bid for what you absolutely want; all bids are binding. 
- Available bid options are: 

• Full-time YYC Cabin Crew Member 

• Full-time YVR Cabin Crew Member 

• Full-time YYZ Cabin Crew Member

-If you are multilingual, you will continue to maintain your language requirement.

NOTE: Based on the network requirement of the Boeing 787, we do not have vacancies for Cabin Manager positions at this time. In the event vacancies arise, we will communicate opportunities at that time. Currently active or reinstated Cabin Managers will receive additional information. 

How to bid 

Please fill out the form the Company has sent. The form will be available until Sunday, February 20, 2022 at 2359 MT. If you have questions, please email inflightcommunications@westjet.com. 

Active Cabin Managers or Cabin Managers who have a reinstatement date 

The Union is pleased to advise the Company will be offering an opportunity for a one-for-one Cabin Manager swap.  

While the Company is still completing the Cabin Manager reinstatement process in YYC and YYZ, there are no current CM vacancies. If you would like to transfer as a CM to the YYC or YYZ Base, the Company will be in contact to offer this one-time swap opportunity. Depending on interest levels, those who elect to change their base, will be awarded a CM swap by seniority on a one-for-one basis. 

In the absence of the Cabin Manager role in YVR, the Company is unable to accommodate transferring CMs to/from YVR at this time. In the event there is a future need for Cabin Managers in YVR, the Company has agreed to work with the Union on aligning process. 

If you are interested in swapping to YYZ or YYC, please fill out the form you have been sent by the Company. This option will be open until Sunday February 20, at 23:59MT. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to Rahim Ebrahim, Senior Manager, Inflight Operations, or your DPM. 

The following Q&A was provided in the WestJet Communication: 

Q: I’m currently a Cabin Manager who has been involuntarily reclassified as a Cabin Crew Member and not operating in the CM role. Am I able to bid? 

A: Yes. As you will be awarded, you will forfeit your CM reinstatement in your current base and be eligible to be reinstated in your new base into the CM role should a vacancy arise in either YYC or YYZ. Should you elect to bid for YVR, you will have to await a vacancy in that base and complete the recruiting process. 

Q: Why does YYC have a different effective date than YVR and YYZ? 

A: As we are currently complete recall including out of base recall, the effective date is effective following returning CCMs who have currently been laid off. 

Q: Will you be offering any part-time status changes? 

A: Based on operational requirements, all vacancies will be full-time, and we will not have any part-time opportunities at this time. 

Q: What happens if I have a carry-over pairing/reserve from the previous month? 

A: As the carry-over pairing/reserve is from the previous month, you will be required to complete that in your current base. Following completion of that pairing, you will then take on your new base. 

Q: What happens to my vacation that I was awarded? 

A: You will take your vacation with you to your new base. 

Q: When will the next bid be? 

A: At this time, we have no insight as to when the next bid will occur. As per the collective agreement, this would happen a minimum of two times a year. 

If you have any questions about Vacancy Bids, please refer to Article 24-2 of the WestJet Collective Agreement prior to reaching out to your Leader or the Union. 

Please contact the Company directly regarding specific programs being offered. 

Should you have any questions regarding the Collective Agreement, your Union can help! Please contact us at: https://www.cupe4070.ca/contact

 In Solidarity, 
Your CUPE 4070 Exec Team

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

Recall Notice - WestJet (WS) Members - February 2022 #3

Dear Members,

The Company has issued MANDATORY recall for WestJet (WS) Members based in YYC:

• MANDATORY Notices of recall have been released by the Company today, Tuesday February 8, 2022.

• This recall will utilize the 7-day recall notice period, in accordance with 47-5.04 of the Collective Agreement.

• Members are expected to be placed into training in March or April.

IMPORTANT: The return to work is mandatory and there is no option to defer. If you decline the recall, or do not respond, this will be deemed your resignation from WestJet. If you fail to respond to the MANDATORY recall notice within seven (7) days, you will deem to have declined the recall.

To ACCEPT or DECLINE Recall:

1)   Check the personal email account that you have most recently registered with the Company related to your inactive status. If you need to change the email address on file with the Company, please contact peopleservices@westjet.com.

2)   Ensure to check your ‘spam/junk’ folder, just in case.

3)   The Company will provide an official recall notice to your personal email address on file.

4) In addition to accepting the recall notice using the online form, you will be required to complete Vaccination Status Declaration Forms even if you have already done so. Be sure to read the notice of recall carefully and follow the instructions provided by the Company.

More information on vacancy bids will be communicated by the Company later this week.

Please reach out to the Union at www.cupe4070.ca/contact should you have further questions.


In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

CUPE 4070 Special Membership Meeting - March 7, 2022

Dear Members,

We would like to notify you of the upcoming Special Membership Meeting via video conference on March 7, 2022 - the purpose of this meeting is to present the budget.  

Special Membership Meetings differ from General Membership Meetings in that “no business shall be transacted at the Special Membership Meeting other than that for which the meeting is called, and notice is given.” More information on Special Membership Meetings can be found in Section 5b of the CUPE 4070 Bylaws. 

When: March 7, 2022 

Time: 11:00 PT / 12:00 MT / 14:00 ET 

Subject: CUPE 4070 Budget 

We will follow-up with more information regarding access to the meeting closer to the date. 

Your engagement and participation is so important to all elected Members of this Union, but especially to you, the Members we represent. We look forward to seeing you there!  

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

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

Executive Table Update

Dear Members,

We would like to provide our Members with an update to the Executive of CUPE 4070. 

Earlier today, Chris Rauenbusch stepped down as President, CUPE 4070. We would like to thank Chris for his service during his time as President. 

Crystal Hill, the current Vice-President of CUPE 4070 will be interim President of CUPE 4070. 

As her current Vice-President position will be vacant, the WS YYC Base Vice President, Brigitte Benoit, has been appointed as Vice-President, CUPE 4070 in the interim. 

With Brigitte’s appointment to Vice-President, CUPE 4070, her role as WS YYC Base Vice-President is vacant.

YYC Union Steward and RTW Committee Member, Brandy Whitby has been appointed as WS YYC Base Vice-President in the interim

All appointments will be temporary until such time a by-election can be held for the role of CUPE 4070 President.

We are committed to continuing to work for the Membership we serve. 

A further update to Members regarding the upcoming by-election process will be sent as soon as the local is ready to initiate this. We have asked the Company to provide the Local with updated Member information in preparation for this by-election. 

As always, should you require Union assistance, please contact us at http://www.cupe4070.ca/contact 

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

Secondary Recall - February 2022 Bid

Dear Members,

As you may recall, attached to each Tentative Agreement during ratification, was a Memorandum of Agreement connecting all three bargaining units, WestJet, WestJet Encore and Swoop. To review this document and/or download for your reference click here. 

SPECIAL NOTE: Please review all Company and Union communications regarding recalls. This secondary recall may hinder your return to your original company, due to the imminent return of Members to active status.

Through a shared interest in allowing Cabin Personnel on layoff from one Company to access work at another Company, Secondary Recall was ratified by the membership at all three workgroups.    

The Union would like to announce application for Secondary Recall is now live. Members interested in being placed on the Secondary Recall list can apply here. 

The Union is responsible for creating and maintaining Secondary Recall lists for each Company base. The updated Secondary Recall Lists must be provided to the Companies no later than the 10th day of the month that is two (2) months prior to the monthly scheduling period for which the Secondary Recalls (if any) would take effect.  

February 2022 placements on the Secondary Recall List will close Monday February 7th, 2022 at 1800MST and be effective April 2022.  **Signing up for secondary recall effective April 2022 (or any subsequent month) does not guarantee recalls will occur.**

Carefully read the requirements, process and outlined terms and conditions, including the “freeze period” of Secondary Recall in both the attached MOA and application form.  

Please note, Secondary Recall is not “flow”. There is an outlined process for flow from WestJet Encore and Swoop to WestJet. This process can be found under Section 4 and is subject to the terms and conditions of the attached MOA.

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

Black History Month - 2022

Dear Members,

The Month of February marks Black History Month. In 1995, Toronto Area MP Jean Augustine introduced a motion that was passed unanimously by the House of Commons to recognize Black History Month across Canada.   We have curated a list of resources at your fingertips.  We have web links, Ted-Talks, and a booklist for you to look through and for you to learn about the struggles that Black People have faced and continue to face in Canada.  
 

Websites 

CUPE has a page dedicated to Black History Month - https://cupe.ca/black-history-month     

Black Lives Matter - https://www.blacklivesmatter.ca/     

The truth of Black Slaves in Canada - https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/black-enslavement 
 

Videos 

Ted-Talk, The path to building an anti-racist workplace With Susan Long-Walsh 

https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_long_walsh_the_path_to_building_an_anti_racist_workplace 

Ted-Talk,The difference between being "not racist" and antiracist With Ibram X. Kendi 

https://www.ted.com/talks/ibram_x_kendi_the_difference_between_being_not_racist_and_antiracist?language=en     

Books 

The CARD Committee also has put together a list of 10 books that range from aviation specific to hard conversations: 

1 - Stars In The Sky, Stories of the First African American Flight Attendant   
By: Casey Grant  

2 - The Life Of Bessie Coleman The First African American Female Pilot   
By: Connie Plantz 

3 - Red Tales Black Wings, The men of America's Black Airforce  
By: John B. Holway 

4 - Black Eagles, African Americans in Aviation  

5 - Cabin Pressure, African American Flight Attendants, Pilots and Emotional Labor  
By:  Louwanda Evans 

6 - So You Want To Talk About Race 
By: Ijeoma Olou 

7 - The Bluest Eyes  
By: Tony Morrison 

8 - The Hate You Give 
By: Angie Thomas  

9 - The Rib King 
By: Ladee Hubbard  

10 - Caste, the Origins of our Discontents  
By: Israel Wilkerson  

It is our hope at CUPE and The CARD committee that you use these resources to better educate yourself during this time of Black History Month.  Use your influence to become anti-racist in your life and workplace and together we can create a more equitable society where Black People no longer have to face racism and discrimination.  We are grateful for the teachings from the Black Community and we look forward to working and spotlighting that Back Lives Matter. 

We stand in solidarity with Black Crewmembers, 

Your CUPE 4070 CARD Committee 

WS YYZ Base Update – Feb 1, 2022

Dear Members,

Further to our email to you on January 21, 2022, the Union has taken further steps to support the WS YYZ Base while Chantale Tremblay is away. 

WS YYZ Union Steward Bryan Hansraj has been appointed to the WS YYZ Base Vice-President position during Chantale’s absence. Bryan has been working hard with the Executive during this transition and we appreciate Bryan’s help during this period. 

The CUPE 4070 Contact page has now been amended so that all WS YYZ Base emails go to Bryan’s email. The Executive who had previously assisted with Chantale’s absence have actioned all emails up to and including those sent as far back as December 21, 2021. 

Any WS YYZ Member who may still have an outstanding issue prior to December 21st, 2021 is asked to follow-up with Bryan at: bryan.hansraj@cupe4070.ca. 

The Union will once again update our WS Members if there are any further changes to the above-mentioned updates. 

As always, if you require Union assistance, we can be reached through our website contact page here: https://www.cupe4070.ca/contact 

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team