Your Bargaining Committee comprised of Local Presidents and Component Officers have been in preparation for the upcoming contract negotiations with Air Canada/ Air Canada Rouge. Many of you are likely aware of this and we thank those who have been showing their solidarity and support as we move towards this historic round of bargaining. As we advised Friday, we have just completed a weeklong meeting with our stakeholders, including external counsel, CUPE National Staff, CUPE Research, our Component Grievance Committee Chairperson and various other experts.
These meetings were aligned with our ongoing strategy which includes our Unpaid Work campaign. It continues to gather momentum daily, and we feel confident it will garner strong support from the public at crucial times. In addition, your Union will be looking at better wages, benefits, pension improvements, block rule adjustments and rest provisions to name a few. These are a culmination of our collective needs identified over the past ten years.
Today we issued Air Canada / Air Canada Rouge our Notice to Bargain. This is the first step in officially advising the employer of our intent to come to a renewed collective agreement. We anticipate that we will be meeting with Air Canada/ Air Canada Rouge prior to the holidays in December to review proposals and commence discussions.
We are sure you may be asking how can you help. Please ensure you continue to wear your Union Pin and Unpaid Work Lanyard. Keep in mind that showing support for your Union during the bargaining process is your right. The employer can not interfere with this, and you cannot be disciplined for wearing them. This is the beginning of a sea change. We will all be proud to remember this historic time where we righted the wrongs and made the personal and professional lives of all members better. All those who came before have brought us to this moment and we remember the sacrifices of the labour movement and will honour them and you throughout this entire process.
In solidarity,
Your Bargaining Committee