The link below is for information purposes. If you were a crew member on one of these flights, the company will reach out to you to advise, and the Union will also be notified so we can follow up and offer further assistance (WSIB/WCB, EAP, etc.).
Dear Members,
Through the Airline Division and CUPE National, the message below is something we should all share and immediately do. We must apply pressure where needed.
Make your voice heard!
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Tell Prime Minister Trudeau that a federal aid package focusing on airline workers is needed now.
Dear members,
As you know, thousands of airline workers, including thousands of CUPE’s Airline Division members, have already been laid off due to the global outbreak of COVID-19, and the airline industry needs help now to stay afloat in coming months.
Send an email to Prime Minister Trudeau to make sure any federal relief for the airline industry focuses first and foremost on workers like CUPE’s 15,000 flight attendant members.
Just press send and the Prime Minister will receive the following email:
Dear Prime Minister,
The COVID-19 pandemic and sweeping government efforts to combat it are now having a far-reaching impact on airline and Canada’s 50,000 airline workers who are laid-off by thousands. Since your government bears some responsibility for the financial consequences for airlines and their employees, an airline federal aid package focusing on workers is needed now. This airline relief package must maintain and return employees to payroll, protect collective bargaining rights, and come with legal guarantees that financial support from the government will go first to support workers’ wages, salaries, and benefits. CUPE and our allies in the labour movement are clear that this should not be a handout with no-strings-attached, and we expect that any public investment into the industry should result in a public stake in the company or companies involved. Finally, any proposed relief package from the federal government must be developed in consultation with, and have the consent of, the bargaining agents representing airline workers.
CUPE and the other Canadian airline unions are ready to talk now.
Sincerely,
Please share this political action link with your friends.
To find out more about the content of the immediate airline federal aid package proposed by Canada’s unions, read the letter sent to the government by CUPE National President Mark Hancock, along with the leaders of the Canadian Labour Congress and other unions representing 50,000 airline workers across the country. Click HERE to view.
In Solidarity,
Wesley Lesosky
President, Air Canada Component of CUPE
The Union has been made aware of several incidents wherein our members, along with their fellow tenants, are being harassed by superintendents and landlords in the buildings in which they rent. In particular, the Union has been advised by multiple members that they are being asked to disclose their nationality and/or citizenship or residency status. Members have also been asked to disclose whether they have recently traveled outside the country.
While it may be that building owners and managers are trying to protect their tenants and have the best intentions in mind, please note that tenants have specific rights. These rights differ among the provinces and territories.
If you or one of your colleagues has experienced this kind of behaviour, we encourage you to make use of the resources below, depending on your province of residence. We have identified resources in each of our bases, and former bases, and the contacts at each should be able to connect you with or direct you to more local resources should you live away from the airport base.
Vancouver
Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre
http://tenants.bc.ca/
Calgary
Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta
https://www.cplea.ca/humanrightswhenrenting/
Winnipeg
Winnipeg Rental Network
https://www.winnipegrentnet.ca/
Toronto
Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations
https://www.torontotenants.org/
Montreal
Régie du logement
https://www.rdl.gouv.qc.ca/
Halifax
Dalhousie Legal Aid Service
https://www.legalinfo.org/housing-owning-renting-neighbours/dalhousie-legal-aid-tenant-rights-guide
In solidarity,
Click on the link below to view a publication from Homewood Health regarding COVID-19:
– COVID-19: How to speak to children
Wishing you all the best,
Mary Keough
Chair, Component EAP Committee
Our members are the front line of this pandemic, and though the employer has made some efforts to provide protective equipment, they have fallen short. We are only just now being provided a standard N95 mask and are hearing multiple reports of it not fitting or giving a proper seal. It is surely too little too late for many of our members and the passengers onboard. We will continue to press for more protections such as face shields, long sleeve surgical gowns and ensuring that there is sufficient sanitizer and other necessary supplies. We will also persist in seeking other ways to ensure social distancing is possible onboard.
A powerful measure to protect ourselves is to practice social (or physical) distancing. Other air carriers are trying to address this obvious dilemma by trying to put distances between passengers onboard aircraft, including restricting seats. We have seen no such attempts by our employer.
In an earlier conversation we spoke with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) in very plain terms about these facts. The guidance of the PHAC is relied on by other federal government agencies as a guide in crafting policies and guidance. Throughout this pandemic, we have been asked where the health guidance for flight attendants is. Put simply, it does not yet exist. This is why you see the company referring to the CDC or the FAA, both US agencies. We need Canadian guidance. Guidance that allows us to participate and to represent you.
The data is very clear that our members are working in conditions that are very high risk. Some of you may have seen the recent New York Times piece outlining this, based on government data. We will be impressing upon the PHAC the fact that social distancing onboard aircraft should be implemented and that each and every one of our members must be self-isolating for 14 days upon return from their flying duties outside of Canada, without penalty.
The facts do not lie, and we strongly believe that the health and well-being of our members and society at large will be protected further by putting these measures into place. At all times, we encourage you to remember your rights as workers. Reporting is a crucial part of exercising these rights and we urge you to consult our recent bulletin on this point. You may also want to consult CUPE’s guide on the right to refuse dangerous work. We believe that if you are armed with knowledge and a clear understanding of your rights that you will be able to make decisions regarding your health in meaningful ways. Most of all keep in mind that we will continue to be strong advocates for you.
The PHAC, in collaboration with Canadian public health experts has developed guidance for federal/provincial/territorial public health authorities on the use of public health measures to reduce and delay transmission of COVID-19 in the community.
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/health-professionals/public-health-measures-mitigate-covid-19.html
The PHAC also keeps track of data which informs us all of how the virus is being transmitted and through what means. The “Probable exposure setting” indicates that the majority of cases were exposed outside of Canada or exposed to a traveller returning to Canada.”
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/health-professionals/epidemiological-summary-covid-19-cases.html
In addition to this Canada has invoked the Quarantine Act which came into effect midnight last night. https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/q-1.1/page-1.html Canada’s federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu said “Effective at midnight tonight, travelers returning to Canada, with the exception of essential workers, will be subject to a mandatory 14-day isolation under the Quarantine Act. This new measure will provide the clarity for those re-entering the country about the essential need to self-isolate.”
As you are likely aware the PHAC has stated that due to our occupation which includes the movement of people, we are exempt from the 14-day isolation period.
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/latest-travel-health-advice.html
They have stated:
The continued global movement of goods and people and the ongoing delivery of essential services will be important for Canada’s response to COVID-19.
Consequently, an exemption to the request to self-isolate for 14 days should be provided to workers who are essential to the movement of goods and people. For example, this exemption would apply to:
Workers in these sectors should:
It is recommended that employers in these sectors conduct active daily monitoring of their staff for COVID-19 symptoms (checking for cough, fever or shortness of breath).
We cannot stay silent about the fact that this exemption is affecting our members the most of any of the groups named above. We are the ones who are directly exposed to travellers who are either exhibiting signs of COVID-19 or have potentially travelled in an area where there was an outbreak or simply was outside of the country. The airport screening efforts are not sufficient as they cannot possibly identify those that are asymptomatic carriers.
In some cases, we spend hours at a time confined with these travellers. This puts us in the most vulnerable position. We recommend that you put your health and safety first. We will do our part and continue to fight to ensure that government agencies do the same.
In solidarity,
