he Union is happy to announce that the Company has just advised us that there will be an additional 208 recall notices going out shortly for Cabin Crew positions at Air Canada Mainline. Those recalled to Air Canada Mainline will be recalled back to their home base.

The recalls to Mainline will take effect on September 7, 2021 and you must accept your recall within 7 days. The most junior member being recalled has a 2021 seniority of 31725.

All members being recalled will be notified via registered letter.  Please note that due to COVID-19, there may be some delays in these letters reaching you. To compensate for this the Company will also be advising all those recalled via Company email and a courtesy phone call.  Please check your recall notice for more details. To ensure delivery of your recall response we suggest using your Air Canada email account.

As a reminder the Collective Agreement says the following about recalls:

17.16.02  An employee on laid-off status shall be notified by the applicable company, of the first available assignment either at Air Canada Mainline or at Air Canada Rouge to which his/her seniority entitles him. Failure to advise the applicable company within seven (7) calendar days of the registered postmark date of his/her desire to be considered for the assignment shall disqualify him for the assignment.

Recall notice shall be sent by registered mail to the last address filed with the company.

The Company will reach out to you via registered letter to the last address you have listed with the employer.  You have 7 calendar days to reply to the employer if you intend on accepting your recall, from the date the letter was post marked.  We have been advised that the letters will go out today, August 24, 2021.

Do I have to accept a position back to my home base?  Can I decline the recall coming back to where I was laid off from?
As per Article 17.16.04 the following is applicable:

17.16.04  If the employee is notified of a permanent assignment at the point of layoff, s/he must accept, and report for duty within fourteen (14) calendar days from the date notice was sent. An acceptance of permanent assignment at other than the point of layoff shall be optional for the individual concerned; however, should s/he accept, s/he shall report for duty within twenty-one (21) calendar days from the date of registered postmark. This time limit may be extended by Air Canada or Air Canada Rouge, as applicable, under extenuating circumstances.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to us for clarity on the process or any concerns that you may have.

In solidarity,

As we have heard from a few members on the recently announced Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccine guidelines for our industry, your Union, along with our Sisters and Brothers at the Canadian Flight Attendant Union (CFAU), which represents cabin crew at Jazz, sought a preliminary legal opinion on the current landscape.

Please CLICK HERE for a copy of the legal opinion.

As always, it is our role to look into all aspects of policies that affect our workplace. We will continue to review and advise as more information is made available regarding mandatory vaccination.

In solidarity,

As you may recall, on July 28, 2021, your Union filed a policy grievance CHQ-21-13 – COVID-19 Leave of Absence (To view click HERE) and subsequently filed a motion for an interim order directing Air Canada to cease and desist from:

• denying members’ statutory entitlement to take COVID-19-related leaves under section 239.01 of the Canada Labour Code;
• demanding members provide documentation to substantiate the COVID-19-related leave in violation of section 239.01 of the Canada Labour Code and Canada Labour Standards Regulations; and
• refusing to process COVID-19-related leaves beyond September 25, 2021, in violation of the Canada Labour Code and Canada Labour Standards Regulations.

This morning we were advised by our Chief Arbitrator, that the Union’s motion was granted as follows:

…the union’s application for interim relief is granted to the extent, and subject to the comments above, that the company may not request additional documentation beyond that required in the written declaration, which, as set out, must include sufficient reasons for the requested leave meaningfully tied to the requirements of the Code.

Chief Arbitrator Kaplan accepted that additional documentation is not necessary to consider COVID leave requests, which is how the requests were processed before July 2021.  Chief Arbitrator Kaplan found:

There is an apparent legislative intent to not require excessive, burdensome documentation to facilitate entitlement to these leaves in the attenuated and stressful circumstances of a global pandemic that has affected people so profoundly. The Code clearly seeks to achieve a balance between efficiency and transparency; a balance between the interests of employees and employers. Additional documentation is not necessary to consider these requests – as was earlier the case. Depriving leaves now could cause individual irreparable harm…

A full copy of the decision can be accessed by clicking HERE.

For members that require a COVID-19 Leave, you should continue to review the policy (click HERE for a copy) and request your leave through the eLeaves kiosk with sufficient reasons that are meaningfully tied to the Code requirement. However, you will no longer be required to provide additional documentation beyond the written request.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to the Union if you encounter further issues in requesting a COVID-19 Leave.

In solidarity,