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days until our Collective Agreement expires, we are preparing, we are united and we will make change.

Financial Support for Airlines

Lisa Raymond on October 1, 2020

Message from CUPE:

Air Canada flight attendant union says rapid testing needed to save airline jobs, industry

The union representing flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge is calling on the federal government to administer rapid testing at airports, to make flying safer and to save jobs in the airline industry.

The Air Canada Component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents 10,000 flight attendants, says COVID-19 has decimated the industry and without federal action, thousands of jobs will permanently disappear. The union says a bailout alone won’t help the industry since it won’t make flying safer. However, the union is suggesting that if passengers were tested prior to boarding from out-of-country destinations, this would ensure a safer flying environment for the public and airline workers alike.

“The Canadian economy relies on a strong airline industry, and it’s key to keeping communities and families connected,” said Wesley Lesosky, President of the Air Canada Component of CUPE. “People need to travel for work and families want to reunite, but they also want to know it’s safe to fly. Approving rapid 15-minute tests at the airport will help address both these problems and stimulate travel.”

Some airlines have taken advantage of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and EI Top-Up to help keep their furloughed and active employees on full payroll during the pandemic but others, like Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, have not. Lesosky says tens of thousands of jobs are at stake, and will disappear without government action, but reiterated that the government has options to support workers and their families even if it is reluctant to offer direct support to the industry.

“We don’t know how long we’ll be living with the coronavirus,” said Lesosky. “But what we do know is that without rapid testing, it’s possible our industry and many others won’t ever recover.”

Since the outset of the pandemic, CUPE has maintained that any government support to the airline industry should have significant carve-outs and guarantees for supporting workers, rather than protecting only corporate bottom lines. CUPE also maintains that any government assistance should come with a stake in the companies.

CUPE represents 15,000 flight attendants nationwide at nine different airlines.
– – – – – –

Dear Members,

As most of you are aware, other airline unions, representing the pilots at Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, WestJet, and Sunwing, held a press conference today in Toronto asking for financial support for the airlines from the Federal Government. CUPE was approached by Air Canada to take part in this and had questions regarding the CEWS program, EI Top Up and other government funded programs the company could currently be taking a part in. We feel some sort of guarantee from either the Government or Air Canada that workers will be top of mind if any public funds are provided is necessary.  Any bailout needs to take care of workers before the company’s bottom line.

The reality is the Government has an opportunity to make positive change to our industry, through financial assistance, rapid testing prior to departure into Canada and reviewing restrictions currently imposed.

The bottom line is this must be done safely, for our members, the general public and Canadians alike.  With government assistance afforded to many other major carriers throughout the world, we need to ensure we are kept at par, and supported by our government leaders in the same way.

In solidarity,

COVID-19 Update: Denial of Services and Quarantine Enforcement Calls

Lisa Raymond on October 1, 2020

The Union met again with the PHAC on September 23, 2020. We wish to provide an update about our ongoing work to resolve denial of services for our members and emails/calls from quarantine enforcement agents.

Denial of services:
The PHAC raised this issue on September 18, 2020, at the Health Professionals Forum, a group of the professional associations and colleges in the healthcare sector that meet throughout the year with senior government officials. They were asked to come back with suggestions about how to best resolve this issue. The PHAC will be following up with them this week. A call is being scheduled between the PHAC and provincial health agencies to explore a similar conversation.

Meanwhile the Union heard from its members that it would be helpful to have a letter from the company confirming the exemption and the measures in place to protect employees from COVID-19.  We requested that the company issue such a letter and are pleased that one is now available. This will be posted on Aeronet shortly.

Concerns about email Scams:
The Union has advised the PHAC that many members have been unsure if the emails they receive are legitimate or not. The agency is reviewing this internally.

The PHAC advises that any legitimate emails from their agency will be sent from an address ending in @CANADA.CA . You should ensure that the word “Canada” is spelled correctly as scammers will often add or subtract a letter in order to make the email appear legitimate.

The federal government also maintains a website with information about all known COVID-19 fraud and scams:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-safety-canada/campaigns/covid19.html#h-1

How to stop quarantine enforcement emails/calls:
The PHAC and CBSA have reviewed their data and the bulk of the problem lies with the use of the paper form.  These forms are processed along with thousands from passengers. If the section related to your exemption isn’t circled or the processing agent misses it, your name will be forwarded to the PHAC’s quarantine enforcement branch.

To reduce emails/calls, it is highly preferable to use the CBSA’s ArriveCan app, which has recently been fixed.

  1. Download the ArriveCan app for free on Google Play and Apple App Store .
  2. Create a profile on the app. This will be saved for future use.
  3. Complete the quarantine questionnaire using the app upon return from your flight.
  4. Show your submission receipt to the CBSA officer. They will provide you with a 3-digit code.
  5. Once you enter the 3 digit-code into the appropriate box, your exemption from the mandatory quarantine provision is confirmed by a blue E with a checkmark.

 

If you choose to complete the paper form, the PHAC advises it is more likely your name will end up on the quarantine enforcement email/call lists. To reduce those chances, they advise the following:

  1. Fill out the following highlighted fields (see below)
  2. Under Type of Travel document, write Passport
  3. Under Type of exempt travel, clearly circle Trade or transport services.
  4. Remind the customs officer as you pass through that you need to be processed as EXEMPT for trade or transport services.

If you start getting emails/calls from quarantine agents:

  • Don’t ignore them. This may cause the agent to escalate your file.
  • When you speak to the agent use the language that you are exempt from the quarantine due to work in transport services.
  • Let them know that you are in possession of a letter issued by Transport Canada to the CEO of Air Canada confirming this exemption (ePub>Covid-19 bulletins).
  • The PHAC has worked with their enforcement department to ensure that calls won’t escalate, however take note that the agent cannot remove your name from the list. This must be done by contacting the agency that flagged you (CBSA).
  • CBSA can be reached as follows:
    • contact@cbsa.gc.ca or 1-800-461-9999
    • Ensure to state your name, employer (AC/Rouge), occupation (cabin crew), flight date and number, and the fact that you are receiving quarantine enforcement calls despite being exempted due to work in transport services.

If a law enforcement officer presents themselves at your residence:

The Union, PHAC and CBSA are all aware that a small number of our members have received enforcement visits from the Police. It appears that some officers are unaware of our exempted status. The Union, PHAC and CBSA are collaborating to resolve this.

In the meantime, please ensure to have your TC and company exemption letter handy as well as your employee ID.

It is extremely important to notify the union of any such occurrence so we can continue our efforts to resolve this on behalf of the membership.

In Solidarity,

BILL C-4 An Act relating to certain measures in response to COVID-19

Lisa Raymond on September 30, 2020

This morning in Ottawa at approximately 03:00 Bill C-4 passed in the House of Commons.  It is being sent to the Senate to be debated and voted on.  If this bill is passed by the Senate and receives Royal Assent, it would then become law. If you would like to know more about the specifics of this bill you can find the links below.   There you will find information about the three new benefits available under Employment Insurance (EI): Canada Recovery Benefit, the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefits, and the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit.

https://parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/43-2/bill/C-4/third-reading

https://www.parl.ca/LegisInfo/BillDetails.aspx?Language=E&billId=10867435

For those members that would like to apply for leaves to receive EI benefits under this program, we have been advised by Air Canada Mainline that you can apply for them through eLeaves, and for those of you recalled to Air Canada Rouge, you can apply by sending your request to askrouge@aircanada.ca, Attention: Chelsea. Your request will be received by Air Canada or Air Canada Rouge, however it will have a pending status until the Bill comes into force after approval by the Senate and proclamation. The government is motivated to implement this legislation so people do not go without income after the last CERB payments are made.

We would like to reiterate the terms and criteria of these benefits for your information.

Canada Recovery Benefit
A Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) of $500 per week for up to 26 weeks, may be payable to workers who are self-employed or are not eligible for EI and who still require income support. This Benefit would support Canadians who have not returned to work due to COVID-19 or whose income has dropped by at least 50%. These workers must be available and looking for work and must accept work where it is reasonable to do so.

Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit
A Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) of $500 per week for up to two weeks, may be payable for workers who are sick or must self-isolate for reasons related to COVID-19. This Benefit is meant to support the government’s commitment to ensure all Canadian workers have access to paid sick leave.

Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit
A Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) of $500 per week for up to 26 weeks per household, for eligible Canadians unable to work because they must care for a child under the age of 12 or family member because schools, day-cares or care facilities are closed due to COVID-19 or because the child or family member is sick and/or required to quarantine.

As noted in our September 24, 2020 bulletin, any period of leave taken by an employee prior to September 30, 2020, does not count towards the total amount of leave you could now be entitled to under the new proposed legislation.

Please stay tuned for more information on this including the Company Policy on these leaves. As soon as we know more, you will know more.

In solidarity,

COVID-19 Safety – Fall 2020 Refresher

Lisa Raymond on September 29, 2020

As Canadians we have benefited from a summer that saw relatively low infection rates across the country, which in turn allowed for a relaxation of COVID-19 measures. Because of this, we may have slipped a bit when it comes to protecting ourselves, loved ones and colleagues.

But it is clear, a second wave of COVID-19 is beginning in some parts of the world and, for some of us, even here at home. The time to buckle down and take every possible precaution is now.

Based on feedback that the Union has received over the past month, we wish to remind members of a few key health and basic safety items crucial to preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace:

Exposure:

  • As a rule of thumb, your likelihood of contracting SARS-CoV-2 from someone who is infected is conditional on two things: The degree to which they are infectious X the amount of time you are exposed to them.
  • Since there is no way of knowing or controlling how infectious an infected person is, and since many infected persons show no symptoms, the only way we have of protecting ourselves is eliminating exposure or reducing it if that isn’t possible.
  • This can be accomplished through administrative actions designed to facilitate physical distancing and limiting prolonged contact. If those fail or are rendered impossible or less reliable, it can also be accomplished to a certain extent through the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
  • The fact that some PPE is made optional by the employer, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be used. The Union has heard countless stories from members who, in hindsight, say “next time I’m wearing all the PPE”. Don’t let this be you.

Masks:

  • The entire aircraft is a “mask zone”. This means that a mask must be worn by all crew everywhere on the aircraft including washrooms, crew bunks and galleys. The only exception is for pilots when they are alone in the flight deck, as per the TC interim order.
  • For added clarity: If cabin crew are entering the flight deck, or if pilots are exiting the flight deck, everyone needs to be wearing a mask.
  • It is appreciated that masks aren’t terribly comfortable, however it is a necessary and required action to wear one while taking crew rest for the health and safety of you and your crew members.
  • A mask must cover both your nose and mouth. You must also pinch the nosepiece of the mask (any type) to ensure the best seal possible and help prevent fogging of protective eyewear.

Gowns:

  • Gowns are single use only. DO NOT take them to the hotel or your home to wash/re-use. This defeats the entire purpose of this PPE and only puts you at risk.
  • Gowns are removed back-to-front after use (reverse for the lab coat style), taking care to turn it inside out as you remove your arms from the sleeves, balling it up to avoid touching the outside. Dispose of in the trash.

Eyewear:

  • Protective eyewear is important! It protects you from droplets that might be generated by a customer or colleague when speaking to you.
  • It is the Union’s position that protective eyewear should be worn at all times when possible.

Physical distancing:

  • Physical distancing is key to protecting yourself and others from contracting the virus. The further you are from one another, the less likely fine droplets in the air are to enter your airway. While physical distancing may be a challenge onboard, it is often possible elsewhere at work such as in airports, crew buses, hotel lobbies and restaurants.

Group gatherings:

  • Gatherings amongst crew on layovers involve people from many households and many regions who have recently worked flights to many places. If you connect the dots, a “small gathering” of 5 people in one hotel room could indirectly expose you to as many as 80-100 other people!

If you must meet as a group, it is infinitely safer to do so outdoors in areas where there is ample airflow and in keeping with physical distancing and mask usage guidelines.

The worst place to spend time with people is in a poorly ventilated and/or small enclosed area such as a hotel room, especially without the use of masks.

Reliable information sources:

PPE guideline document, PPE donning and doffing video, and mask compliance guide:

  • ACAeronet > ePub > Personal Protective Equipment Tile

www.cupe.ca/covid19

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19.html

In solidarity,

Your Air Canada Component of CUPE Health and Safety Committee

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