Lisa Raymond, Author at AC Component

COVID-19 Leave Options

Lisa Raymond on September 24, 2020

Many members have been reaching out in the past few weeks regarding leave options as the original COVID-19 leave was scheduled to be repealed effective October 1, 2020. We are happy to report on a new development as today the Federal Government tabled Bill C-2 which includes proposed amendments to the Canada Labour Code.

Bill C-2 includes proposed amendments to the Canada Labour Code to ensure that federally regulated employees have access to job-protected leaves so that they can avail themselves to the new benefits introduced by the government as outlined below:

Subject to this legislation receiving Royal Assent, the new Benefits would provide income support to Canadians by introducing measures that encourage people to safely return to work. Specifically, the legislation includes:

A Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) of $500 per week for up to 26 weeks, 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;
A Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) of $500 per week for up to two weeks, for workers who are sick or must self-isolate for reasons related to COVID-19. This Benefit supports our commitment to ensure all Canadian workers have access to paid sick leave; and,
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

In addition, 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.

We are in discussion with Air Canada on implementing these new leaves pending passage by Parliament and will update the membership as more information becomes available, including any policies put in place by the employer. Please note these leaves would be applicable at Air Canada Mainline and Air Canada Rouge.

In solidarity,

Update Your Contact Information With The Union

Lisa Raymond on September 24, 2020

As elections approach, it is imperative that we have an up to date membership contact list.

Remember: While on layoff status you are still a member, and your Union should be updated with all updated information you may have.

To update your information, please email contact@accomponent.ca. In your email please include the following information:

– Full Name
– Employee Number
– Full Mailing Address (including any apartment or unit numbers)
– Phone Number
– Personal Email Address

Paper Mailings – REMINDER

Lisa Raymond on September 23, 2020

As election time approaches we wanted to send a reminder about opting-out of paper mailings.

In 2018, changes were made to the Air Canada Component Bylaws allowing members to opt-out of receiving physical mailings during elections and to receive communication electronically, solely via email.

Turning to electronic communication allows those with difficulty accessing mailboxes to receive their information in a secure and timely manner. This option also represents environmental and cost saving benefits. The use of paper has a significant impact on our carbon footprint – not just from the chopping down of trees to make the paper, but also on the fossil fuel power used for printing, and the chemicals involved, too. We would like to move to a more progressive approach to our communications strategy and this is part of that initiative.

Rest assured you are not opting out of receiving information all together, everything will still be sent to you via email.

Please complete the opt-out form by clicking on the link below and help reduce our Union’s environmental footprint!

https://forms.gle/P8KDLgy2TZoFNNvq7

In solidarity,

Component Secretary-Treasurer’s Report – September 2020

Lisa Raymond on September 23, 2020

I hope you are staying healthy and got to enjoy your summer, even if it did not involve your usual peak summer flying. Similarly to many of our members, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the Union’s financial position and we continue to take steps to address it by reducing our cash burn as much as possible. Please see the following updates since my last report.

Investments
We currently have the majority of our cash invested in three GICs with maturing dates over the next year. Fortunately, all of our GIC’s were purchased prior to the drop in interest rates as result of COVID-19, so we are earning considerable returns.

Belfield Office Update
The Component office reopened in August as the Toronto region entered “Phase 3” of the Ontario Government’s reopening plan. As part of our reopening our Staff and Committee Members continue to have the option of working from home as they have done so effectively while the office was closed. This is also inline with our budget passed in June which had all Component Committees reduce their in-office time by 50% to save on expenses.

As a follow-up to the Budget we passed at our June ACCEX meeting, I have continued to try and find further cost-savings. We continue to take advantage of the CEWS for our office staff which was recently extended until December 2020. Unfortunately, the new formula is less advantageous with weekly payments decreasing over the next few months and we have therefore adjusted our staffing levels accordingly.

Audits
The 2019 year-end audit was completed by our external auditors in early August and approved by ACCEX at our August meeting. Thankfully, this was a much simpler process as it was the first full year with new bookkeepers. This term we have been able to bring the Component up to date by completing 4 years of audits. We will also begin the 2020 year-end audit on schedule in January 2021.

Highest Earner Top-Up
As you may recall, last term there was a disputed amount of top-up paid to the Component Officers during their term. When I took office last year, I was first tasked by ACCEX to reconcile the disputed amount and attempt to recover the funds. At that time, the former Component Secretary-Treasurer was the only officer who responded and paid the disputed amount in full.

At our ACCEX meeting last month we discussed ways to recover payment from the former Component President and Component Vice-President. A decision was made to send a final letter requesting payment by September 30, 2020. This letter was signed by all the voting members of ACCEX and advised if we did not hear back by September 30^th that we would review our options to take legal action against the former officers.

Please see the table below for the highest earner in the bargaining unit for the past six months.

Block Month	Highest Earner
Jun 2020	$9,491.33
Jul 2020	$9,570.67
Aug 2020	$9,603.33

Statement of Operation – 2020 Fiscal Year (July 2019- June 2020)
As noted below we do end the year with a small deficit, however this is solely a result of the 2-month dues reduction that put $505,910 back into the membership’s pocket. If we had not provided this reduction, we would have ended the year with a significant surplus.

Income
Dues Income $5,006,812
Rental Income $52,008
Other Income (interest on investments) $89,169
Total Revenue $5,147,989

Expenses
Dues Paid to CUPE National $1,742,547
Airline Division Affiliation $9,627
Funding to Locals (YVR, YYC, YUL, YYZ and RG) $1,039,659
Administration (Staff and Building) $832,998
Committees $1,059,825
Grievance Legal/Arbitration $637,027
Total Expenses $5,321,683

Surplus (Deficit) ($173,694)

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy fall!

In Solidarity,

Alex Habib
Secretary-Treasurer, Air Canada Component of CUPE

Policy Grievance – Wage Rate and Benefits for Members Recalled to Rouge – UPDATE

Lisa Raymond on September 23, 2020

I am writing to you today with an update to a bulletin that was issued in August, advising that your union had filed a policy grievance, CHQ-20-13 – Wage Rate and Benefits for Members Recalled to Rouge (click HERE to view).

This grievance was filed in response to the employer’s plan to recall Cabin Personnel – Flight Attendants and Pursers/Service Directors – on layoff from Mainline to Air Canada Rouge’s operations. The Collective Agreement requires that these Cabin Personnel be provided with “their Air Canada Mainline wage rate with Air Canada Mainline benefits” while at Rouge (Article 17.04.02). The purpose of this provision was to ensure that Mainline Cabin Personnel wage rates were protected if they were recalled to Rouge.

The Employer has taken the position that Pursers/Service Directors recalled to Rouge will not be paid their Mainline wage rate and instead, will be paid the rate they would have been paid at Mainline had they been classified as a Flight Attendant. The Employer has taken the position that parking benefits will not be provided. This is not what the Parties negotiated and not what the Collective Agreement requires. It is also extremely punitive.

We have received confirmation that the hearing in this matter has been scheduled to take place on November 18, 2020. Your Union understands the importance of an expedited hearing on this, and were able to push this forward in such a manner.

In Solidarity,

Wesley Lesosky
President, Air Canada Component of CUPE

COVID-19 Leave Options

Update Your Contact Information With The Union

Paper Mailings – REMINDER

Component Secretary-Treasurer’s Report – September 2020

Policy Grievance – Wage Rate and Benefits for Members Recalled to Rouge – UPDATE

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