Recently the Union was advised that the “Employee Care Team” at Air Canada Mainline was advising members that Severance Payments were coming out in 4-6 months.

Once we were advised of this through official means, we were able to immediately advise Labour Relations of this.

We were advised yesterday, June 3, 2021, that the employer is attempting to get all members paid by manual cheque mailed to your address on file in accordance with that timeline.  The replies with 4-6 months were not correct, and this was confirmed yesterday.

In our opinion Section 247 of the Canada Labour Code is clear that the amount should be paid within 30 days of the anniversary of the layoff:

Payment of wages

247 Except as otherwise provided by or under this Part, an employer shall

(a) pay to any employee any wages to which the employee is entitled on the regular pay-day of the employee as established by the practice of the employer; and

(b) pay any wages or other amounts to which the employee is entitled under this Part within thirty days from the time when the entitlement to the wages or other amounts arose.

Thank you to all the members that sent us the official communication.  Please remember, it’s always faster to reach out directly to your Union to ensure we can deal with your concerns promptly. We will have regular updates on this with the employer, and if there are any further issues they will be communicated.

In solidarity,

The Union is happy to announce that the Company has just advised us that there will be 348 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 June 17, 2021 and you must accept your recall within 7 days. The most junior member being recalled has a 2021 seniority of 13860.

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.

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, June 3, 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,