Your Component Grievance Committee is the backbone of many of the Union’s activities. Their hard work and efforts are one of the ways that we are able to enforce our Collective Agreement and to improve the working and personal lives of our members. If you have a question about a policy grievance, you can reach out to them at i.jovic@accomponent.ca.
We have had members writing to us about the current situation with Gate Gourmet employees from Teamsters Local 647 who are exercising their right to strike. Gate Gourmet provides catering services to many airlines in Canada. This includes some Air Canada flights.
Our members have voiced their concerns and their support for Teamsters Local 647 members. They report that they have been asked to assist managers in restocking bars and removing garbage among other things. Given that this scenario may be occurring on many flights we must ask if we are inadvertently circumventing the right to strike of our brothers and sisters who work with Teamsters Local 647 by mitigating the impact that the strike may be having. We suggest that all members check in on time and perform their duties as required, keeping in mind our primary role of ensuring safety and security is respected.
We have been asked by Teamsters Local 486 representatives to report any incident involving untrained replacement workers. They would like to be advised of any relevant information about safety and/or security breaches. As you know safety and security are paramount regardless of the circumstances. If you have any feedback or comments, please provide them to contact@accomponent.ca. We look forward to hearing from you.
As some of our members may recall on January 30, 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada issued a landmark decision, holding that the right to strike is constitutionally protected. They found that the right to strike is an indispensable component of participating meaningfully in the pursuit of collective workplace goals.
Further they emphasized the importance of the right to strike in promoting equality in the bargaining process. The Supreme Court recognized the deep inequalities that structure the relationship between employers and employees. It is the possibility of strike action that enables vulnerable workers to negotiate with employers on terms of “approximate equality” in the context of a fundamental power imbalance. In the Court’s view, resorting to strike action at the moment of impasse is an affirmation of the dignity and autonomy of employees in their working lives. While a strike on its own does not guarantee the resolution of a labour dispute, the Supreme Court stated that strike action has the potential to place pressure on both sides to engage in good faith negotiations.
In solidarity,
(This applies to AC Mainline only)
For the block month of May 2024, the following flights fall under LOU 61 and are scheduled for A330 aircraft. They will have 2 (two) dedicated crew rest seats:
| – AC073 CMN-YUL – AC811 LIS-YYZ – AC813 LIS-YUL – AC816 YYZ-VCE – AC817 VCE-YYZ – AC818 YUL-VCE – AC819 VCE-YUL – AC833 BRU-YUL – AC836 YYZ-MUC – AC837 MUC-YYZ – AC840 YYZ-FRA – AC841 FRA-YYZ – AC842 YYZ-FRA – AC843 FRA-YYZ |
– AC845 FRA-YUL – AC871 CDG-YUL – AC880 YYZ-ZRH – AC881 ZRH-YYZ – AC885 GVA-YUL – AC886 YYZ-VIE – AC887 VIE-YYZ – AC894 YUL-MXP – AC895 MXP-YUL – AC904 YUL-FCO – AC905 FCO-YUL – AC906 YYZ-FCO – AC907 FCO-YYZ |
What if these flights operate on B777/787 aircraft?
LOU 61 is specific to the A330/A321XLR aircraft, and not applicable to the B777/787. The B777/787 have crew bunks that may be used for crew rest/break purposes.
In Solidarity,
Your Component Grievance Committee
Dear Mainline Members,
Air Canada is failing to pay crew members who are required to report for duty up to thirty (30) minutes prior to any duty period. Air Canada stated that they are having IT issues but have not committed to ensuring proper payment would be forthcoming any time soon. Once again, our members deserve to be paid what they are entitled to.
The Union has filed a policy grievance. Click HERE to view the grievance form.
If you have been affected by this matter, we ask that you send an email to i.jovic@accomponent.ca, and ensure to include the grievance number CHQ-24-37 in the subject line.
In Solidarity,
Wesley Lesosky
President, Air Canada Component of CUPE
Dear Mainline Members,
Air Canada is telling members to pay claim acknowledged meal allowances/entitlements because they are not automatically being paid out. Air Canada should be automating all meal allowance/entitlement payouts. Clearly, if Air Canada knows you are entitled to them, why should members need to submit pay claims to be paid out?
The Union has filed a policy grievance. Click HERE to view the grievance form.
If you have been affected by this matter, we ask that you send an email to i.jovic@accomponent.ca, and ensure to include the grievance number CHQ-24-36 in the subject line.
In Solidarity,
Wesley Lesosky
President, Air Canada Component of CUPE
