As a follow-up to the announcement of the amended purchase agreement of Air Transat, we want to address a few things to provide clarification.
We first want to reiterate that nothing has changed since the proposed acquisition was first announced in 2019. The revised purchase price must still go before the Air Transat shareholders for approval at a shareholders’ meeting to be scheduled in early December 2020. In addition, the required regulatory approvals from both the Canadian and European governments are still not in place yet.
We also want to reassure you that your Air Canada Component Executive (ACCEX) is elected to represent the interests of the Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge Cabin Crew members. We are not elected to represent the interests of the Air Transat Cabin Crew members or those of CUPE National. CUPE’s structure is based on a bottom-up approach, meaning we take direction from our members and each Local has its own autonomy. This is different than other Unions and allows your Locals and Component to represent your interests without interference.
Your ACCEX understands that given COVID-19 and the resulting layoffs, this news may bring with it a high level of anxiety for our members who remain on layoff status. We understand and share your concerns, and we are prepared to advocate for you and for your careers.
We continue to engage with the Company to learn more and understand the potential impact on our membership but have been provided with limited concrete information to date. We ask for our members’ patience as we seek further information – and we will be back to you with new information as it becomes available. In closing, one thing that we can assure you of is that we will be well informed and will use all resources at our disposal to protect the interests of our members.
In solidarity,
