Mindful Awareness Stabilization Training
Early Retirement Incentive Program Webinar
As a follow-up to the announcement made a few weeks ago regarding the Early Retirement Incentive Program (ERIP), your Locals and Component have been hearing from many members expressing interest in the program but requesting a better understanding of what the program offers. In response to those inquiries, next week we will be hosting multiple webinars to review the ERIP Program and answer some of your questions.
The sessions will be hosted on Zoom by the Component Secretary-Treasurer and the Component Pension Committee. Login information will be emailed to you the day of the session. Each session has a limited capacity of 100 members, so please only register if you are considering retirement through the ERIP program. Please note the presentation will be in English.
The sessions available are as follows:
| Date | YYZ/YUL | YYC | YVR |
| Tues., May 4 | 10:00 EDT | 08:00 MDT | 07:00 PDT |
| Tues. May 4 | 17:00 EDT | 15:00 MDT | 14:00 PDT |
| Wed. May 5 | 12:00 EDT | 10:00 MDT | 09:00 PDT |
| Wed. May 5 | 16:00 EDT | 14:00 MDT | 13:00 MDT |
| Thurs. May 6 | 17:00 EDT | 15:00 MDT | 14:00 PDT |
To register for a session please visit the following link:
https://forms.office.com/r/wqX5imv7fd
Please be mindful that we will not be able to discuss individual financial matters during the webinar. If you have questions about your pension calculation following the launch of the eTool on May 3rd you should reach out to HR Connex Pension for clarity.
In solidarity,
Coronavirus Update 36
The Union has been made aware of instances where members were told that they could not be served at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic or provider due to travel within the past 14 days.
If you have been vaccinated or attempted to get vaccinated, please click on the link below and respond to some questions regarding your experience:
https://forms.office.com/r/7SaG2F0J0W
The Union has approached the company as well as Transport Canada who both advise that specific details are crucial in order to best take steps to address potential problems.
In Solidarity,
Off-Duty Status – May 2021
As you are likely aware, last week it was announced by the Federal Government that Canada would be suspending flights between Canada and India. The Company has now advised us that due to this recent suspension they have a surplus of Cabin Personnel. The number of projected Cabin Personnel hours for the May 2021 block month has been reduced by over 26%. According to the Collective Agreement language this reduction would be classified as a Major Operational Disruption. Instead of cancelling recall notices or initiating further layoffs, discussions have taken place between the Union and the Company and the Company advised they will adhere to the Collective Agreement provision related to a major operational disruption found in LOU 6: Operational Distribution.
Instead of being laid off or having your recall cancelled, the members recalled for May 1, 2021 will be placed on Off-Duty Status as outlined in LOU 6.06. This decision will allow the affected members to maintain their current Employment Insurance application active. In addition, they will be returned to Company Benefits and accrue vacation, sick time, and pensionable service. It is important to keep in mind that while on Off Duty Status, you may be recalled to active duty with 48 hours notice. We did request that these members also be placed on the CEWS program, however the employer did not agree.
The 111 members recalled for April 26, 2021 will remain fully active for the May block month.
We remain hopeful that with ramped up vaccination efforts being made across the country, that public health and border measures will begin to ease allowing a rebound of our industry and a recall of many of our members into the workplace. We recognise that this newest development is unwelcome however we will continue to adapt and to place the interests of the affected members in the front of mind. We know this is a turbulent time for so many and will continue to advocate to ensure that all members have a voice.
Please remember to report all short crewing and draft situations, links to the forms can be found HERE.
In solidarity,
National Day of Mourning
Today is the National Day of Mourning for workers who have lost their lives while on the job. More than a year into the pandemic it is clear that the effects of COVID-19 have deeply affected workers in countless industries. Many of us know someone who contracted the virus at work. Maybe a school teacher or a bus driver, or the cashier at the local grocery store. Sadly, many of our own members amongst the extended CUPE National family have fallen ill while at work and some have lost their lives (not at airlines). This is in addition to all the other workplace illnesses, injuries and deaths that occur all too frequently because of other “traditional” hazards.
If anything good can come from COVID, perhaps it’s that we must never allow ourselves to be content with the level of safety that we enjoy. Because what’s safe today may be wholly inadequate for the hazards of tomorrow. We must learn from what we have lived through, and ALWAYS do our best to build upon that knowledge so that we can successfully face those new challenges when they come.
When COVID is over, we must remember the acute shortage of personal protective equipment in the early months of the pandemic. Why didn’t we learn from SARS? Why didn’t we have our own manufacturing facilities for respirators, gowns, gloves and masks?
We must remember the slow rollout of vaccines. We were overdue for a pandemic, so why didn’t we learn from SARS and ensure manufacturing capacity here at home?
We must remember the troubles our members have had getting access to essential health care, ironically because they perform an essential job that has them cross borders.
We must remember how long it took our governments to acknowledge what was plainly obvious as early as 2 weeks into the pandemic and backed in solid scientific studies: this was a pathogen that spreads through the air.
We must remember how provincial and federal regulations fail to this day to ensure proper respiratory protections for front-line essential workers despite clear epidemiological evidence that they bear a significant portion of COVID-19 infections in the second and third wave.
Had we, as a society, collectively learned from SARS and addressed these things, how many people could have avoided falling ill? How many people could we have saved?
It is by making a daily commitment to safety that we can honour those whose lives have been lost this past year, and years prior. Report all hazards – even if you’ve done it before. Report all illness and injury – even if it’s minor. Hold your political leaders accountable, and demand that we act on lessons that ought to have been learnt from the past and make good on doing the same for those we have unfortunately had to learn this past year.
We encourage you to view the CUPE National Day of Mourning message by clicking HERE.
In solidarity,
Your Air Canada Component of CUPE Health and Safety Committee