Due to the high demand to join last week’s Early Retirement Incentive Program (ERIP) webinars, we will be hosting one additional session tomorrow, Tuesday, May 11th, at 15:00 EDT / 13:00 MDT / 12:00 PDT.  Please note the presentation will be in English.

To register click on the following link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvduqgqDgtHtGj2_6AOi3emKHoeupYhXwz

We kindly ask that you only register for this final session if you were unable to attend last week’s sessions as we want to ensure access to those that may have missed out last week. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Please be mindful that we will not be able to discuss individual financial matters during the webinar.  If you have questions about your pension calculation following the launch of the eTool on May 3rd you should reach out to HR Connex Pension for clarity.

As a reminder the ERIP application closes at the end of day this Friday, May 14th, 2021.

In solidarity,

As a follow-up to the announcement made a few weeks ago regarding the Early Retirement Incentive Program (ERIP), your Locals and Component have been hearing from many members expressing interest in the program but requesting a better understanding of what the program offers. In response to those inquiries, next week we will be hosting multiple webinars to review the ERIP Program and answer some of your questions.

The sessions will be hosted on Zoom by the Component Secretary-Treasurer and the Component Pension Committee.  Login information will be emailed to you the day of the session.  Each session has a limited capacity of 100 members, so please only register if you are considering retirement through the ERIP program.  Please note the presentation will be in English.

The sessions available are as follows:

To register for a session please visit the following link:

https://forms.office.com/r/wqX5imv7fd

Please be mindful that we will not be able to discuss individual financial matters during the webinar.  If you have questions about your pension calculation following the launch of the eTool on May 3rd you should reach out to HR Connex Pension for clarity.

In solidarity,

As you are likely aware, last week it was announced by the Federal Government that Canada would be suspending flights between Canada and India. The Company has now advised us that due to this recent suspension they have a surplus of Cabin Personnel. The number of projected Cabin Personnel hours for the May 2021 block month has been reduced by over 26%. According to the Collective Agreement language this reduction would be classified as a Major Operational Disruption.  Instead of cancelling recall notices or initiating further layoffs, discussions have taken place between the Union and the Company and the Company advised they will adhere to the Collective Agreement provision related to a major operational disruption found in LOU 6: Operational Distribution.

Instead of being laid off or having your recall cancelled, the members recalled for May 1, 2021 will be placed on Off-Duty Status as outlined in LOU 6.06.  This decision will allow the affected members to maintain their current Employment Insurance application active. In addition, they will be returned to Company Benefits and accrue vacation, sick time, and pensionable service.  It is important to keep in mind that while on Off Duty Status, you may be recalled to active duty with 48 hours notice. We did request that these members also be placed on the CEWS program, however the employer did not agree.

The 111 members recalled for April 26, 2021 will remain fully active for the May block month.

We remain hopeful that with ramped up vaccination efforts being made across the country, that public health and border measures will begin to ease allowing a rebound of our industry and a recall of many of our members into the workplace. We recognise that this newest development is unwelcome however we will continue to adapt and to place the interests of the affected members in the front of mind. We know this is a turbulent time for so many and will continue to advocate to ensure that all members have a voice.

Please remember to report all short crewing and draft situations, links to the forms can be found HERE.

In solidarity,

Your Union and the Company have reached an agreement to offer full-time employment opportunities in the form of non-medical staffing positions to our Quebec-residing CUPE-represented employees who are currently on layoff status and are interested in a temporary employment opportunity.

Air Canada will be operating the YUL Vaccination Hub in partnership with ADM, Biron Groupe Santé and Bombardier and at its peak can expect it to be responsible for vaccinating approximately 1000-1400 people per day across both clinics.

This will be a full-time assignment and members will be expected to be available for the entire duration of the assignment.

Your pay and associated benefits while on this assignment will come directly from Air Canada and will be as per the Collective Agreement ground duty rates (50% of your flying hourly rate).

As there is a quick turn around, the company is asking that you respond with your final decision to apply for this assignment no later than 1200 EDT, Thursday April 29, 2021.

The Company will be reaching out to members on layoff, based on the Master Cabin Seniority list, who reside in the Province of Quebec.  If you are selected, based on your province and seniority, you will receive an email from Air Canada advising you with further information.

The Union is always looking for ways to find opportunities for our members.

In solidarity,

The Minister of Transport has announced that effective 23:30 on 22APR21 a NOTAM is being issued by Transport Canada suspending passenger travel between India, Pakistan and Canada for 30 days.

While this may be a welcome relief for some concerned members, we wish to remind them that the Union has been raising the DEL route as a particular concern for many months. Concerns specific to DEL that the Union has heard and raised with the company are likely to remain problematic even after a 30-day pause. If you have concerns but haven’t yet filed a report, it is still important to do so. Select a health and safety complaint e-report on sims.aircanada.ca or using the iPad if you are an in-charge.

Concerns we have heard:

• Almost daily notifications of positive cases on the DEL-YVR and DEL-YYZ flights (31 in March and 17 so far in April). Some of these flights included multiple exposures.
• Difficulty maintaining sanitary lavatory facilities, despite a refusal on the part of the company to dedicate a lavatory to crew as recommended by multiple industry and regulatory bodies.
• Concerns about the legitimacy of COVID-19 molecular test results, based on customer comments, media reports as well as warnings from the Canadian government’s own consular services in India.
• The impossibility of maintaining any sort of physical distancing on full flights where passengers insist on roaming around the cabin.
• Serious difficulties achieving compliance with masking requirements, over-and-above those our members report on other routes.
• Reports that passengers are allowed to board using scarves, pieces of fabric, repurposed garments, neck gators etcetera, none of which fall into the permitted category of facial coverings for transport on Canadian aircraft. Our members tell us that customers don’t seem to have had Canadian masking requirements explained to them, resulting in especially onerous duties onboard for our language speakers and fellow crew, further exposing them to the COVID-19 hazard.
• A clear message from members that service levels must be re-considered on this route as many of the mitigation measures implemented as part of service re-introduction in 2020 cannot be relied upon or just don’t work.
• Overall concerns about exposure to COVID-19 both on the aircraft and while on layover in DEL.

In solidarity,