WS Seniority PBS Policy Grievances

Dear Members,

A week after WestJet (WS) May schedule release, President Crystal Hill sent a letter to WestJet Management addressing the first seniority scheduling month and the “seniority-based” Preferential Bidding System (PBS) chosen by the Employer.  

Members can read the full letter here.  

Earlier today, Interim Vice-President Brigitte Benoit filed three policy grievances on behalf of all WestJet Members. All three policy grievances address the Seniority Preferential Bidding System.  

Policy Grievance #1 – WS-POL-2022-002 – Failure to Implement
The first policy grievance alleges the following:  

[…] the Employer failed to provide WS Cabin Personnel Preferential Bidding Seniority (PBS), where all schedules will be awarded by a seniority-based model as intended by Article 34 – Scheduling (34-1.02).   

The Union was not involved in acquiring the current “seniority” PBS; selection of the system was done by the Employer alone. There is no language in the Collective Agreement that spoke to collaboration between the Union and the Employer on the system selection process. 

It is also not the Union’s responsibility to pay for any costs associated with software the Employer uses to run their business.  

What the Employer has provided is not a Preferential Bidding System, nor does it respect any Member’s seniority. We understand that this does not come as a surprise to many Members. It does not come as a surprise to us. 

The Union had obvious doubts about the efficacy and legitimacy of the system. Despite running several mock bids, the Employer dismissed the Union’s numerous calls for concern and denied Union access to the system developer resulting in the Employer’s exclusive decision to move forward with implementation of this PBS.  

Our remaining option was to allow the system to do what we anticipated all along, which was to violate the Collective Agreement. Only then could we file a formal grievance. This situation was the largest scale example of “work now, grieve later.” 

Policy Grievance #2 – WS-POL-2022-003 – Failure to Train SRC
The second policy grievance alleges the following:  

[...] the Employer failed to provide adequate training to 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).  

The Union believes this to be a clear and direct violation of LOU #1. 

On numerous occasions, the Union has not been satisfied with the answers they have been given about the seniority PBS. Despite many requests to participate in meetings with the system developer, ADopt, the CUPE 4070 WS SRC was advised by the Employer that ADopt was the Employer’s responsibility to deal with.

Today, the CUPE 4070 WS SRC again requested a meeting with the developer. The Employer seemed surprised by this request, and asked "what would be the intent of this meeting," in addition to asking for a predetermined agenda from the CUPE 4070 WS SRC. The Union does not understand why this is a controversial ask of the Employer. 

Last week, the Union became aware that Swoop Members have had this same “seniority” PBS in place since October 2021 and have experienced the very same issues. However, the CUPE 4070 WO SRC is not recognized by the Employer in their Collective Agreement. Responding to disputes related to published Flight Attendant's monthly schedules is solely in the Employer’s purview at Swoop. The Union was made aware of these issues because the WestJet Collective Agreement recognizes the CUPE 4070 WS Scheduling Review Committee. 

Policy Grievance #3 – WS-POL-2022-004 – Failure to Resolve Disputed Monthly Awards 
The third policy grievance alleges the following:  

[…] the Employer failed to provide the WestJet Scheduling Review Committee (SRC) with substantive and specific evidence to adequately evaluate and address disputes related to published cabin crew monthly schedules. Neither the system developer (ADopt) nor the Employer representatives can provide adequate or sufficient information to investigate disputes arising from published monthly schedules, and no timeline has been given as to when this can be resolved.   

Furthermore, the employer has failed to implement the remedies provided in the Collective Agreement prior to the start of the pairings and days-off in dispute.   

This is a violation of Article 34-2.02 and Article 34-2.03 of the Collective Agreement. As it stands, the CUPE 4070 WS SRC is not able to deem a Day off Dispute as valid or invalid with the Reasons Reports the current Seniority PBS publishes.  

You can read more about this issue in our May Newsletter released earlier this month.

The Union will also be following up with Individual Grievances for Members who submitted disputes related to days off. 

We recognize there has been significant expressed frustration and anger posted online directed towards the Union. Please remember that the Union does not negotiate with itself. We are still dealing with the same Employer that resulted in our successful certification in 2018.  

Do not be fooled by the misleading chatter - the Union has budgeted for these fights. We're Ready.

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

In Solidarity,
CUPE 4070 President, Crystal Hill
CUPE 4070 Interim Vice-President, Brigitte Benoit

Help free CUPE members held in Dominican Republic / Aidez à libérer les membres du SCFP retenus en République dominicaine

Dear Members,

The following is an email on behalf of the Airline Division of CUPE / La Division du transport aérien du SCFP:
 
Since April 5, CUPE members Christina Carello and Alexander Rozov, flight attendants at Pivot Airlines, Local 4059, along with two pilots and a flight mechanic – members of ALPA and Unifor, respectively – have been held in the Dominican Republic, after discovering and reporting suspected contraband on their plane.
 
In doing so, the crew prevented a possible onboard fire, and a probable air disaster resulting from the added weight and unsafe location of the contraband on the plane.
 
Despite that, and despite immediately following all local and international laws and regulations, Dominican authorities want the crew to be held in prison for up to 12 months as an investigation runs its course. They have faced daily threats, including explicit threats on their lives for their actions, and CUPE is gravely concerned for their safety, mental health, and physical well-being.
 
Christina and Alexander and their ALPA and Unifor colleagues need the support of CUPE members to put pressure on the Canadian and Dominican governments. Write Canada’s foreign affairs minister and your local MP today to demand they do everything they can to bring Christina and Alexander and the whole crew home by clicking on the link below.
 

Help free CUPE members held in Dominican Republic | Canadian Union of Public Employees

Chers membres, 
 
Depuis le 5 avril, Christina Carello et Alexander Rozov, deux agents de bord chez Pivot Airlines, section locale 4059, et membres du SCFP, ainsi que deux pilotes et un mécanicien de vol (respectivement membres de l’ALPA et d’Unifor) sont retenus en République dominicaine après avoir découvert de la marchandise présumément de contrebande dans leur avion et l’avoir immédiatement signalé aux autorités. 
 
Ce faisant, l’équipage a probablement permis d’éviter un incendie à bord et une catastrophe aérienne qui auraient résulté du poids supplémentaire et de l’emplacement dangereux de la marchandise dans l’avion. 
 
Malgré cela, et bien que toutes les lois et réglementations locales et internationales aient été respectées sans délai, les autorités dominicaines veulent garder l’équipage en détention jusqu’à 12 mois, le temps qu’une enquête suive son cours. Cette Canadienne et ces Canadiens font face à des menaces quotidiennes en raison de leurs actions, y compris des menaces de mort explicites. Le SCFP craint pour leur sécurité, leur bien-être physique et leur santé mentale. 
 
Christina, Alexander et leurs collègues membres de l’ALPA et d’Unifor ont besoin du soutien des membres du SCFP pour exercer des pressions sur les gouvernements canadien et dominicain. Écrivez à la ministre fédérale des Affaires étrangères du Canada et à votre député(e) fédéral(e) pour leur demander de faire tout en leur pouvoir afin de ramener Christina, Alexander et le reste de l’équipage au pays en cliquant sur le lien ci-dessous. 
 

Aidez à libérer les membres du SCFP retenus en République dominicaine | Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team
CUPE 4070 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
WestJet YYZ Base VP, Chantale Tremblay
WestJet Encore YYC Base VP, Colleen Tracey
WestJet Encore YYZ Base VP, Mauricio Mejia
Swoop Base VP, Allan Ramsarran

April/May 2022 By-Election Voting Package

Dear Members,

The following is a breakdown of the participation for this by-election. Notes indicate Members that have been acclaimed to their position (no election required) and positions going into an election to determine the outcome.

The following position is a term position, ending in November 2023:

CUPE 4070

Vice-President – Election Required

Alia Hussain - READ MORE

Brigitte Benoit - READ MORE

Rose Streete - READ MORE *late bio

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

WestJet

WS YVR Base:

Bylaw Review Committee – 1x – No nominations received

Union Steward – 3x – Acclaimed / No Election

Sonja Bergen - READ MORE *late bio

Victoriano Perez Alvarez

WS YYC Base:

Commuter Committee – 1x – Acclaimed / No Election

Davide Orsi

Union Steward – 2x – Acclaimed / No Election

Leah Ramsay

WS YYZ Base:

Union Steward – 4x – Election Required
Destiny Earle
Eco Dzaman – READ MORE
Maegan Mathys
Michelle Martell – READ MORE
Shaahin Ghazaghian

WestJet Encore

WR YYC Base:

Health & Safety – 2x – No nominations received

Commuter Committee – 1x – No nominations received

Bylaw Review Committee – 1x – No nominations received

Union Steward – 5x – No nominations received

WR YYZ Base:

Health & Safety – 1x – No nominations received

Union Steward – 1x – No nominations received

WR Any Base:

Women’s Committee – 1x – No nominations received

Swoop

WO YHM/YYZ Base:

Union Steward – 3x – Acclaimed / No Election

Wendy Moraghan – READ MORE

WO Any Base:

Women’s Committee – 1x – No nominations received

Hotel & Transportation Committee – 1x – No nominations received

Scheduling Review Committee – 1x – No nominations received

Bylaw Review Committee – 1x – No nominations received

In summary, for this by-election, all CUPE 4070 Members in Good Standing can vote in the CUPE 4070 Vice-President Election. Only WestJet Members based in YYZ in Good Standing can vote in the WestJet YYZ Base Union Steward election. There are no other positions requiring a vote for this by-election.

Your secure voting link will arrive via email from: vote@simplyvoting.com.

If you do not find your voting link in your email, please check your spam/junk folder.

If you are still unable to locate this link, please email Marco Di Virgilio, Recording Secretary & Returning Officer - CUPE 4070, at: vote@cupe4070.ca. Please include your full name, airline and employee number in the email.

All CUPE 4070 Members In Good Standing (signed card and paid $5 Membership fee) can 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 elections ends for processing. SIGN A CARD HERE 

Elections:

Elections START: Tuesday May 10, 2022 at 03:00 PT/04:00 MT/06:00 ET

Elections END: Monday May 16, 2022 at 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

April/May 2022 By-Election

Dear Members,

We are now ready to begin our next by-election. Please review this information carefully:

A special note for WestJet YYZ Members – Chantale Tremblay has returned from leave to the WS YYZ Base Vice-President position as of April 21. The Executive along with the Interim WS YYZ Vice-President Bryan Hansraj will work to support Chantale with her return. Bryan will be assisting with this transition until at least May 15. We would like to welcome Chantale back and thank Bryan for his hard work in Chantale’s absence.

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

The following position is a term position, ending in November 2023:

CUPE 4070
Vice-President

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

WestJet
WS YVR Base:
Bylaw Review Committee – 1x
Union Steward – 3x

WS YYC Base:
Commuter Committee – 1x
Union Steward – 2x

WS YYZ Base:
Union Steward – 4x

WestJet Encore
WR YYC Base:
Health & Safety – 2x
Commuter Committee – 1x
Bylaw Review Committee – 1x
Union Steward – 5x

WR YYZ Base:
Health & Safety – 1x
Union Steward – 1x

WR Any Base:
Women’s Committee – 1x

Swoop
WO YHM/YYZ Base:
Union Steward – 3x

WO Any Base:
Women’s Committee – 1x
Hotel & Transportation Committee – 1x
Scheduling Review Committee – 1x
Bylaw Review Committee – 1x

Please take note of the following timelines:

Nominations OPEN:
Friday April 29, 2022 at 03:00 PT/04:00 MT/06:00 ET
Nominations CLOSE:
Thursday May 5, 2022 at 15:00 PT/16:00 MT/18:00 ET
Nomination Acceptance Email OUT:
Friday May 6, 2022 – minimum 48hours notice
Nomination Acceptance DUE:
Sunday May 8, 2022 at 15:00 PT/16:00 MT/18:00 ET
Resume/Info Sheet DUE:
Monday May 9, 2022 at 09:00 PT/10:00 MT/12:00 ET
Elections START:
Tuesday May 10, 2022 at 03:00 PT/04:00 MT/06:00 ET
Elections END:
Monday May 16, 2022 at 15:00 PT/16:00 MT/18:00 ET

All 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 Vice-President
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 Thursday May 5, 2022 at 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 Friday May 6, 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 Sunday May 8, 2022 at 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 Monday May 9, 2022 at 09:00 PT/10:00 MT/12:00 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: Tuesday May 10, 2022 at 03:00 PT/04:00 MT/06:00 ET
Elections END: Monday May 16, 2022 at 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

SRC - Schedule Release Follow-Up

Dear WestJet Members,

The Union has received a number of questions and inquiries regarding the SRC – Scheduling Release Reminder communication that was sent out yesterday. Prior to schedule release, we would like to add more clarity to the preferential seniority bidding system dispute process.

 A note on the preferential seniority bidding system 

We would like to clarify the way the system builds schedules as we go into the dispute process for preferential seniority bidding. When the system creates a schedule, Members below you on the MSL do not exist to the system. When it comes time to build your schedule, the system is only looking at your bids. The system will build your schedule by considering all your bids and deciding how to score you the most points based on what pairings, pairing attributes and day(s) off are remaining in the system.  The system is not designed to try to give you all your bids, but rather, to maximize your points based on what you bid.

Scheduling Disputes vs Grievances 

We would like to clarify scheduling disputes as per the Collective Agreement: 

34-2.02 In the event that a Cabin Personnel wants to address concerns with their issued monthly schedule, they will notify a Union representative on the Scheduling Review Committee within seventy-two (72) hours of schedule release to review and respond.  

34-2.03 If a dispute is regarding a specific Day Off and deemed valid by the Scheduling Review Committee prior to the commencement of the disputed pairing, the Company will resolve the issue. Such resolution, which will be determined by the Company, may include:  

• a modification or removal of the pairing to restore the Day(s) Off with pay protection for the original pairing credit; or 

• the Cabin Personnel will receive premium pay of one and one half (1.5) times the rate of pay for the Credit Hours worked on the Day(s) Off should the Company determine that the pairing will continue. 

Note that CCMs have 72 hours following the Company’s publication of schedules to file a dispute.  Each dispute will be carefully reviewed and answered by members of the SRC. In the unlikely event that a violation has been found to have occurred, every effort will be made by the SRC and the Company to resolve the violation.  Should a resolution that is not mutually agreed upon be found, it is then up to the CCM to reach out to your Base VP to begin the grievance process as outlined in Article 30 of your Collective Agreement.   

Filing a Dispute 

Please send all disputes or concerns to the SRC using the Schedule Dispute Form  issued by the Company, also available on the ‘Transition to seniority bidding’ microsite available on Sharepoint (Westnet). To clarify: the only disputes that have a bargained resolution are day(s) off. All other concerns will be reviewed by the WS SRC, and each instance will be handled individually based on circumstance. 

Note that prior to sending in a dispute, it is the responsibility of the CCM to ensure that their concern is in fact valid and does not violate any of our work rules regarding for example, monthly scheduling window, maximum consecutive days on duty, and /or minimum rest at base.  These work rules can be found in Article 34 - Scheduling, and Article 35 – Reserve, of your collective agreement.  The walk- through videos can provide further information and clarity on these rules if needed. 

Please review the Seniority Bidding Virtual Assistance videos for more in-depth clarification on how to bid, and how the system will determine your schedule based on those bids: 
 

Video #1 

Video #2 

 As always, if you have any scheduling inquiries outside of the outlined process above, please reach out to your WS SCR: ws.src@cupe4070.ca 

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

SRC - Schedule Release Reminder (Copy)

Dear WestJet Members,

Your CUPE 4070 WS Scheduling Review Committee would like to remind you that schedule day is now on the 21st.  

REMINDER- Schedule Day is April 21st! 

As per article 34-2.01 Schedules will be released no later than 1900MT:

34-2.01 The Company will apply the following procedures for releasing monthly schedules: 

WestJet will be releasing a communication by end of day today, Wednesday April 20, 2022, regarding the dispute process. For more information on the dispute process, please refer to article 34-2.02 and 34-2.03: 

34-2.02 In the event that a Cabin Personnel wants to address concerns with their issued monthly schedule, they will notify a Union representative on the Scheduling Review Committee within seventy-two (72) hours of schedule release to review and respond. 

34-2.03 If a dispute is regarding a specific Day Off and deemed valid by the Scheduling Review Committee prior to the commencement of the disputed pairing, the Company will resolve the issue. Such resolution, which will be determined by the Company, may include:  

• a modification or removal of the pairing to restore the Day(s) Off with pay protection for the original pairing credit; or 

• the Cabin Personnel will receive premium pay of one and one half (1.5) times the rate of pay for the Credit Hours worked on the Day(s) Off should the Company determine that the pairing will continue. 

It is important to note that the Dispute Process is for DAY OFF Requests only. 

For inquiries outside of the dispute process, please contact your CUPE 4070 WS SRC: ws.src@cupe4070.ca 

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

WS Seniority Bidding Support - April 9-11, 2022: Update #2

Dear WestJet Members,

Further to our email WS Seniority Bidding Support - April 9-11, 2022: Update #1 sent on April 9, 2022, we would like to provide you with more information ahead of the May bid closure on April 12 at 12:00MT. (This is the deadline agreed to between the Union and the Company for May 2022 bids only)

The Company has provided some general bidding guidelines you may find useful.

On April 9, we held our first of two (2) Teams Meetings to support WS Transition to Seniority Bidding. The recording of this meeting has been uploaded to our website Portal.

We will also upload the second Teams Meeting taking place today, Monday April 11, to the Portal, soon after it ends:

Microsoft Teams Meeting (Online)
April 11, 2022 at: 12:00PT / 13:00MT / 15:00ET
CLICK HERE TO JOIN

Please note: If you are trying to recover your forgotten password, you will receive the following message if you have not set-up your access yet: "The E-mail Address you entered was not found in the database."

If you receive this message, please follow the steps below and create your profile.

If you have not set-up your Portal access, please follow the steps below:

Work Group: WestJet
Visit www.cupe4070.ca/westjet-sign-up
Enter password: CUPE4070
Click the “Subscribe” link
Complete the registration form
You will receive an email confirmation. Follow the steps in the email.

Important:

DO NOT forward this email to anyone
DO NOT share the password with anyone
All registrations will be verified

Very Important:

USE A PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESS. DO NOT USE YOUR COMPANY EMAIL.

Use the email address on record with the Local (the one this email was sent to).

If after completing your registration if you still cannot access the Member section of the website, please use the contact page and select LOG-IN ISSUES.

NOTE: You will receive an automatic reply once you set-up your account with a link to verify your email address. Please double check your spam/junk folder in case this email lands there. Once you have confirmed your email address in the link provided in the email, you can go ahead and access the password protected area of our website.

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 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 Seniority Bidding Support - April 9-11, 2022: Update #1

Dear WestJet Members,

Further to our email WS Seniority Bidding Support - April 9-11, 2022 sent on April 8, 2022, the Members of the SRC and CUPE 4070 Executive flagged several errors with the bidding software this morning. Some of the issues were:

• Specific Pairing on Date(s)

• Bidding using a specific city code

The reason for these errors was due to an upload of information to one of the interfaces that are used in the bidding process not being performed as a result of GDO's and vacation trades. The issues were resolved after the company manually went in and deleted the GDO's attached to vacation blocks that were no longer in a member's schedule because it was traded. The issues have now been resolved. As a result, the Union and the Company have agreed to extend the bidding window to 12:00MT on April 12, 2022.

There have also been issues with the videos the Company posted on SharePoint. The Union requested the video files and they have been linked below:

WS Seniority Bidding #1
WS Seniority Bidding #2

*These video's require the direct link to be viewed

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 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 Seniority Bidding Support - April 9-11, 2022

Dear WestJet Members,

Members of the SRC and CUPE 4070 Executive will be available in the Crew Room to support the transition to Seniority Bidding. All times below are Local Base Time (LBT):

YVR Crew Room
April 9, 2022: 11:00 - 19:00
April 10, 2022: 09:00 - 17:00
April 11, 2022: 09:00 - 17:00

YYC Crew Room

April 9, 2022: 12:00 - 20:00
April 10, 2022: 07:00 - 13:00 & 19:00 - 22:00
April 11, 2022: 11:00 - 19:00

YYZ Crew Room

April 9, 2022: 14:00 - 21:00
April 10, 2022: 09:00 - 21:00
April 11, 2022: 09:00 - 21:00

Microsoft Teams Meeting (Online)*
April 9, 2022 at: 16:30PT / 17:30MT / 19:30ET
CLICK HERE TO JOIN

April 11, 2022 at: 12:00PT / 13:00MT / 15:00ET

CLICK HERE TO JOIN

*Recordings will be posted to the CUPE 4070 Portal

Below are the pre-dispute, base filtered MSLs. These base filtered lists are not an official MSL, please refer to the Company MSL for the official list. The WS MSL is subject to disputes until April 30, 2022.

YVR Base Filter MSL

YYC Base Filter MSL
YYZ Base Filter MSL

We look forward to seeing you!

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 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

April 2022 Newsletter

CUPE 4070 - 2022 General Membership Meeting Dates

Dear Members,

We would like to announce the dates for our 2022 General Membership Meetings (GMM):

• Tuesday May 31, 2022 at 11:00 PT/12:00 MT/14:00 ET

• Tuesday November 15th, 2022 at 11:00 PT/12:00 MT/14:00 ET

A reminder, as discussed at the Special Membership Meeting on March 7, these GMM's will be held virtually. We will send the registration details closer to the posted GMM dates.


In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team
CUPE 4070 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

President, CUPE 4070 - By-Election Results

Dear Members,

The by-election for CUPE 4070 President has now ended.
The results are as follows:

Crystal Hill 470 (32.4%)
Alia Hussain 346 (23.8%)
Tara Mowat 277 (19.1%)
Rose Streete 243 (16.7%)
Reza Ghalamkari 83 (5.7%)
Nika Porter 32 (2.2%)

A total of 1451 Members in Good Standing participated in this by-election.

As Crystal held the CUPE 4070 Vice-President office, this election result now means we will need a CUPE 4070 Vice-President by-election. Stay tuned for more information on this by-election.

Thank you to all Members that participated in this by-election.


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

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