Lisa Raymond, Author at AC Component

Canada’s flight attendants call on Ottawa to save their jobs and industry

Lisa Raymond on October 20, 2020

OTTAWA – Canada’s flight attendant union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), is calling on the federal government to act immediately to keep communities across Canada connected and save thousands of jobs in the airline industry.

“Canada remains the only G7 country without a comprehensive plan to support airline workers,” said Wesley Lesosky, President of CUPE’s Airline Division. “Our industry is on life support – we need Ottawa’s help now, and in doing so will make all Canadians safer.”

CUPE supports the rally happening today on Parliament Hill, organized by airline workers across Canada whose jobs have disappeared because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has already seen thousands in the sector lose their jobs, and the outlook for the industry is grim. In the past week, Air Transat announced it will close its base in Vancouver and WestJet announced it would be cutting the overwhelming majority of its routes in Atlantic Canada.

CUPE has argued that the federal government should implement rapid testing of passengers at airports prior to departure, which would make our aircraft cabins and flying safer for Cabin Crew Members and the public, and help jumpstart demand for air travel.

CUPE represents approximately 15,000 flight attendants at nine different airlines in Canada.

As A Matter Of Fact – Tip Of The Week – Who reports?

Lisa Raymond on October 19, 2020

Many people seem to be under the impression that it falls solely upon the In-Charge or the Captain to file reports for incidents on behalf of the entire crew, including but not limited to disruptive passengers.

Don’t assume that someone else has reported an incident that affects your health and safety or that of your colleagues.

Don’t assume that someone else’s report captures your specific experience, concerns and observations related to an incident. These might be crucial to avoiding repeat events!

Under SMS and the Canada Labour Code Part II, it is every employee’s responsibility to report matters of health and safety to the company. The company’s SMS policy is non-punitive except for cases of gross negligence and willful intent (see FAM 1.4.1).

Remember that the Union is only copied on health and safety complaints and workplace injury illness e-reports. Should you file an e-hazard report or disruptive passenger report, the Union will be completely unaware unless you advise.

The SIMS/AQD reporting system can be accessed:

Via the in-charge iPad AQD app (ML)
By going to sims.aircanada.ca on any computer (ML)
By accessing the SIMS (ML) or AQD (Rouge) portal on Aeronet

The system is not compatible with mobile browsers. You should contact your base health and safety manager should you require further assistance, and never hesitate to reach out to the Union.

Notice Of Upcoming Air Canada Component Elections – 2021

Lisa Raymond on October 15, 2020

In accordance with the Air Canada Component Bylaws, anyone wishing to be nominated should adhere to the following information:

B.5 Notice of Component Officer Elections
B.5.1 Beginning in 2019 Component Officer Elections shall be held in January, last a minimum of ten (10) days and close at 12:00 noon EST on the final day of voting. Terms shall be a follows:
(a) President, Vice-President, and Secretary-Treasurer elections shall be held every two (2) years until 2021. As of 2021 these elections shall be held every three (3) years.
(b) A Trustee election shall be held every year.

B.6 Nomination Procedures for Component Officer Elections
B.6.1 Members who wish to be nominated for a Component Officer position (Component President, Component Vice-President, Component Secretary-Treasurer, or Component Trustee) shall file nomination papers and a completed Oath of Nomination form, to be received by the Chairperson of the Component Tabulating Committee by November 15th in the calendar year preceding the Component Officer Elections.

B.6.2 A candidate may be nominated for only one (1) Component position and in doing so may only solicit signatures for one intended position. Candidates shall disclose their full name and intended position clearly on the nomination papers prior to soliciting signatures.

B.6.3 Nomination forms, as provided by the Component Tabulating Committee, must have at least fifty (50) signatures from eligible voters on the Membership List.

* IMPORTANT: Due to the current COVID-19 Pandemic, and on an exceptional basis, the Component Tabulating Committee will accept electronic signatures on nomination forms for the 2021 Component Election. An electronic signature must be the member’s actual signature and not simply the member’s name typed onto the nomination form. This will allow for members not actively in the workplace to nominate a candidate for a Component position. The nomination form must be filled out in its entirety by the candidate, signed off and dated prior to scanning for electronically received signatures. We are doing this to ensure all members have an opportunity to run, as well as ensure all members have an opportunity to collect signatures, with the COVID pandemic in place, many of you are not able to access your work sites or Union offices due to not having a RAIC.

B.6.4 The Oath of Nomination form (Appendix “F”) must be completed in its entirety in order to be accepted by the Tabulating Committee.

NOTE: For interested candidates, a complete instruction package with nomination sheets will be available on the Air Canada Component website www.accomponent.ca, as well as by request from your Local office, or by clicking HERE. It is recommended that you read the complete instruction package.

DEADLINE: Completed Nomination Sheets and the Oath of Nomination must be received no later than, November 15, 2020, at 16:00 EST at the following address:

AIR CANADA COMPONENT TABULATING COMMITTEE
25 BELFIELD ROAD
ETOBICOKE, ONTARIO
M9W 1E8

Nomination Sheets and the Path of Nomination received after November 15, 2020 at 16:00 EST will NOT be accepted. The Tabulating Committee recommends sending your documentation by registered mail to ensure timely delivery and receipt.

In Solidarity,

Your Component Tabulating Committee

Recall Notices – December 2020 – Rouge YMQ (Montreal)

Lisa Raymond on October 14, 2020

The Company has advised us that there will be 60 recalls for Cabin Crew positions at Air Canada Rouge in Montreal (YMQ) for the December 2020 block month. As these are new recalls, they will be offered to the most senior members on layoff status. The letters will be sent later today.

If you intend to accept the recall to Air Canada Rouge you must respond to it within 7 calendar days. Please be sure to review all information about the working conditions at Air Canada Rouge before you accept. Take your time to review the information and be certain that you understand what this role will entail. If you require any clarification or information, we encourage you to reach out to us directly by email so we can get back to you in a timely manner.

If you do not wish to accept a position at Air Canada Rouge you have 14 days to advise of such in order to be eligible for future recalls. You must reply to the recall notice to maintain your eligibility for future recalls. Please note that declining a recall to Rouge will not affect your seniority and you will be eligible for future recalls to both Mainline and Rouge that are offered in the future.

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.

Please see the below questions and answers regarding these new recalls:

I have already turned down a position at Air Canada Rouge, why am I receiving a recall notice again?
As per the above article, an employee on laid-off status shall be notified of the first available assignment at either Air Canada Mainline or Air Canada Rouge. As this is a new recall offering it must be once again be offered to the most senior members still on layoff status. You again have the option to accept or decline the recall. Please remember that you must still decline within 14 calendar days in order to maintain your name on the seniority list and be available for future recall notices.

I accepted a position at Air Canada Rouge in Toronto, will I be able to transfer to the Montreal base?
Unfortunately not as you accepted a recall to the Toronto base. As per Article 18, base transfers are not actioned while members remain on laid-off status. In addition, as the initial recalls to Air Canada Rouge in Toronto went fairly junior, there is no guaranteeing that the recalls to the Rouge Montreal base will go as junior.

Why are there no recalls to Air Canada Mainline for December?
At this time we have not been advised of any, but this does not mean it is definitely off the table. There could still be recalls to Mainline as the timeframe for recalls to the point of layoff is shorter then the recalls process to Rouge. In addition, the 291 members who took the 6-month SPLOA that was offered during mitigation will be returning to the workplace in December increasing the active Mainline membership. We have requested that additional SPLOAs be offered and to date have yet to hear back from the Company.

As we are hopeful that recalls will become regular monthly occurrence, we have created the following chart that we will update with each round of recalls:

We want to make sure that you have all of the information available to you so that you can make an informed and appropriate decision. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us for clarity on the process or any concerns that you may have.

In solidarity,

As A Matter Of Fact – Tip Of The Week – Timeline for Filing a Grievance

Lisa Raymond on October 12, 2020

If you believe there has been a violation of your rights under the Collective Agreement and you are unable to resolve it with a supervisor, you have sixty (60) days (excluding weekends and statutory holidays) to file a grievance. (Art. 13.02) Grievances that are not filed within the above timelines run the risk of being dismissed by the Arbitrators. If you have concerns or questions about a timeline issue, please reach out to your Union Local for guidance.

Air Canada Rouge members who believe there has been a violation of their rights under the Collective Agreement can approach a supervisor in order to resolve the situation. If the employee fails to resolve the matter or chooses not to approach a supervisor directly, he or she may approach their Local Office who will enter in formal discussions with the Company on his or her behalf in order to attempt to resolve it. Once these discussions have taken place, and the matter remains unresolved, a grievance may be initiated by the Union. A grievance must be filed within 15 days of the last discussion with a management representative (L55.19.03.01). Grievances that are not filed within the above timelines run the risk of being dismissed by the Arbitrators. If you have concerns or questions about a timeline issue, please reach out to your Union Local for guidance.

Canada’s flight attendants call on Ottawa to save their jobs and industry

As A Matter Of Fact – Tip Of The Week – Who reports?

Notice Of Upcoming Air Canada Component Elections – 2021

Recall Notices – December 2020 – Rouge YMQ (Montreal)

As A Matter Of Fact – Tip Of The Week – Timeline for Filing a Grievance

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