Reporting to your Union
We are pleased to offer an update to the membership and provide insights into current issues. One of the things we truly believe is that our strength lies in our ability to communicate directly with you on the matters that you are experiencing in your day to day working lives. It is through this interaction that we can keep our lines of communication open, and, in turn, we can negotiate with the employer to insist on changes and/or improvements to the status quo. We encourage you all to make sure that you are receiving our bulletins and to download our Air Canada Component Mobile app. See the information below on how to do that. Direct communication with the Component executive is the gold standard and will ensure that your voices are heard. We understand that social media is here to stay, and some members will vent their frustrations on social media and give a recounting on something that happened at work that is unjust or plainly unacceptable. In order for us to be aware of these things the recommended mode of communication is direct to your Local Executive and/or Component Executive. We can collectively review your concerns and address them. We pride ourselves on responding in a timely fashion. Consistent, organised, and clear communication amongst us is the surest way for us to begin to prepare for the lead up to full bargaining. If we have two-way communication and are resolved in our goal to negotiate the best Collective Agreement possible in 2025 there is nothing we cannot achieve.
Reporting tabs on www.accomponent.ca
The Union is in the process of updating the reporting tool to include a reporting option for Benefit Concerns as well as Metering Issues. Please watch for this to be released next week, we will update you when it is complete. Please also note that ALL “Crew Seat” violations should be submitted there once you are able to report, the sooner the better so the company can look into the issue. We have noticed an increase in reports and are reviewing next steps internally.
How to sign up for Component bulletins, and access the Component website and APP
To sign up to receive bulletins from the Air Canada Component send an email to contact@accomponent.ca with the subject line “Subscribe to bulletin list”. Be sure to include your first and last name, employee number, base, airline (Mainline or Rouge), and the email address where you want to receive our bulletins.
To login to the Air Canada Component website (www.accomponent.ca) for the first time, click on the “Members’ Portal” button in the top right portion of the screen. Then click on the “Forgot Your Password” link at the bottom of the website’s sign in section and fill out the requested information. An email will be sent to you with your password.
Your login information for the mobile app is the same as your login for the Air Canada Component website. You can download the app here:
IOS download: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ac-component/id1485889758
Android download: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.unionmarketing.accomponent
Crew Scheduling Issues
We have been advised of many scheduling mishaps from members and the local offices. Crew Schedulers are your co-workers, and we are theirs. You may recall the March 25, 2022 bulletin where the company advised:
“As our newest Crew Schedulers learn their role and become familiar with various processes and tasks, we kindly request your patience and understanding during this transition period and hope that you’ll welcome them with care and class.”
To that point, we also remind you the same applies to the schedulers with regards to our newer and most seasoned members, there is never a need to have to accept a scheduler talking to you in a demeaning, rude or aggressive tone. You never need to “justify” your book off to a scheduler, and they should never just “hang up” on you. We have raised the concerns and will continue to do so, please send any concerns forward with dates, times and the issue on the call so it can be addressed. We have had very limited concerns raised over the pandemic, so want to ensure this is just a blip and immediately addressed.
Bargaining Survey Phase One
Your Component Secretary-Treasurer is diligently working on Phase One of the Bargaining Bulletin for the second reopener.
You can expect to see the survey in your inbox in the near future. This will be Phase One of the survey and we will seek to garner feedback from you on matters of importance and comments that you would like to provide. We will then send a more targeted survey as Phase Two and the data that we receive will give us guidance and set our priorities to properly represent the entirety of the membership. Keep in mind that the Second Reopener will be carried out by the confines of the previously negotiated MOA (Click HERE to view).
Metering
We have been receiving increasing reports on the matter of the Customs Hold and Metering process. Members are being left onboard for hours and this is completely unacceptable. We have spoken with Air Canada about this situation. They have advised us that they are acutely aware of the problem and are working on something as an interim fix to alleviate the strain that this is putting on our members. They have been lobbying the government and have been in communication with them to find ways to mitigate the situation. We will be following up with them on a regular basis. Please send reports in so we can address these with them. There have been reports of unruly passengers, no water available, removal of all equipment and catering, no air flow, extreme heat, and fatigue reported. The Union has made it clear that this is not acceptable, and a solution must be found. We have been assured the APU is to remain on during the metering process to ensure appropriate cabin temperature and air flow. If you feel you are not meeting your minimum requirement to be rested for your following cycle, please ensure you follow the process in your Flight Attendant Manual for Crew Fatigue, report your concern and notify your Union. If things do not improve, we will need to take more assertive action, as this issue does not appear to be ending anytime soon. Remember, your Health and Safety is paramount, report your concerns.
Pivot Airline Crew Needs our Help
CUPE members Christina Carello and Alexander Rozov, Flight Attendants at Pivot Airlines, along with two Pilots and a Flight Mechanic – members of ALPA and Unifor, respectively – have been held in the Dominican Republic, after discovering and reporting suspected contraband on their plane. They need YOUR support to put pressure on the Canadian and Dominican governments. We ask that you support this cause and write to Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and your local MP today to demand they do everything they can to bring Christina and Alexander and the whole crew home. We can only imagine the horror of discovering something like this and doing your due diligence by reporting it and ending up in prison. They did what was required of them by reporting this and the actions of this foreign government are not acceptable.
Monthly Meet and Greets to come
Your ACCEX (Air Canada Component of CUPE Executive) held a virtual meet and greet which was open to all members. In our view it was a great success and we felt quite gratified when we were able to answer your sincere questions and receive your comments. We believe that communication is a key element in our strategy to bring strength and unity to this bargaining unit. In the spirit of this belief, we will continue to hold monthly virtual meet and greet events. This allows you to see your Executive members, put a face to a name and to get to know us. We hope that these events will help all members to feel more comfortable and if you see us on a flight to check in and say hi. We look forward to more of these Meet and Greet Events and to answering any questions that you may have. We have many new members, and all signs point to the fact that this trend will continue. We can all remember our first days and months at work and the trepidation we had. We encourage all new members to join us and to not be afraid to ask questions. We were all in the same place in our career and are glad to support and encourage you on your new career path.
Did you fall below you MMG due to vacation removal?
Members have reached out with concerns of vacation awards being removed or reduced once blocks were awarded causing them to fall below MMG. This is applicable to ALL members, if you have fallen below MMG due to a vacation removal, please contact Wesley Lesosky at w.lesosky@accomponent.ca so we can immediately bring this forward to the Company.
In solidarity,
