How to care for your new uniform

Dear Members,
With the new uniform launching in a few weeks your Uniform Committee has been busy answering questions and concerns about our new uniform. Everyone’s main concern being how to best care for these new pieces. Having tested this fabric many times by either wearing these components while on duty, while on crew rest or just around the house we are quite familiar. Here are a few tips that we hope will help.
Suit Components: Blazer, Pants, Skirt, Vest, Dress:
These pieces are made of 100% wool and are recommended to be dry cleaned. That being very costly we searched for other alternatives such as machine wash and home dry cleaning products.
The dress is a piece that most people machine wash, the dress was washed by hand once, in cold water and hung it upside down to dry… it was clean and it took 8 hrs to dry. The wool however became tight but corrected itself with a steam iron.
The dress was also put in the washing machine on delicate setting using ivory (Woolite), and again hung it to dry and steamed. It was fine…  as long as the fibers are steamed they seem to fall back to their original feel. Please note: continuous washing of this fabric will change the construction of the fabric. If it is necessary to wash because you don’t have time once in a while it should be fine but this should not be a regular occurrence.
Dryelle was also tried. It can be purchased at Shoppers Drug Mart and Walmart at a cost of $30.00. This was very good for freshening the dress and spot cleaning. It did not affect the integrity of the fabric.
Please do not place these items into the dryer like your regular laundry. Wool items will become rough and the direct heat from the dryer damages the fibers and causes them to break eg. dress tearing in the shoulder area. This will also cause A LOT of shrinking! This cannot be repaired once the damage is done.
In conclusion: Dry cleaning is ultimately the best way to keep your uniform looking new, at home steam clean is a good alternate, and throwing it in washing machine is a last resort.
Shirts:
Shirts now have a much higher cotton content then they did before. Our new shirts are of a different fabric combination then our current shirt. Male shirts are 60% cotton and the female shirts are 55% cotton. This being the case there may be some shrink in the shirt if placed in the dryer. If your shirt fits perfectly, you can prevent some of the shrink by not placing your shirts in the dryer. Wash in cold water and hang to dry. Hanging to dry will also get out many wrinkles and makes ironing easier. For spot cleaning around the cuffs and inside the collar of the female shirt a quick spray of spray and wash or shout stain remover is recommended.
Scarves and Ties:
These items are both 100% silk. They should be washed by hand or taken to the dry cleaners.
Leathers:
Like all other leather items the purse, belt and gloves are relatively low maintenance. You can extend their life and look by using a leather moisturizer and water resistant protector if you wish.
Our new gloves are made of goat leather so if you use a protectant on those please make sure that it is suitable for goat leather. When opening these items you may notice an odor. Don’t be alarmed this smell is from the dies used and because the garment was packed in plastic wrap and wasn’t given time to breath. This smell will dissipate quickly once unwrapped and is not toxic.
Some additional tips to keep your uniform looking its best while traveling include, carrying dryer sheets (Bounce). By rubbing the inside of the wool fabric and slightly on the outside you can reduce static cling and take out some of the natural wrinkling. Shout pens also work wonders on getting out stains immediately and will keep your shirts whiter in the long run and last but not least travel lint brushes for all the unnecessary fluff that we attract from everywhere.
Alterations:
It has been brought to our attention that a $250.00 cap on alterations has been added. The $250.00 was a unilateral decision by management and without consultation from CUPE. If you have been flagged for alterations the $250.00 should not apply to you. If you have deposited your uniform at Stitch It already without inquiring about the price and are billed above $250.00 you should not be responsible for the difference. We encourage people to try on ALL sizes to find the best fit you can return to the boutiques to try different sizes. This will eliminate extensive alterations and could insure you have a uniform ready for the 26 as the extensive alterations can take over two weeks. If you are in need of more than $250.00 for your uniform alterations, and are told to get approval please contact Claudia Romanello at claudia.romanello@aircanada.ca or (905)676-2449. She is the Management appointed contact for uniform / luggage / alterations / billing / delivery issues.
By now you all should have received your new uniform. If your uniform hasn’t arrived please contact Unisync to inquire on the reason for the delay in delivery. Please try on all pieces to make sure they fit and if they do not fit, the representatives at Unisync are waiting and able to help. Do not pull on strings or tab, instead please cut all tabs and strings. Pulling and yanking will lead to holes in your uniform. If you have received an email from Purolator but not your uniform please contact Purolator with your tracking number and inquire. You can also contact a Unisync rep using the “AC Service” link on their page for additional assistance.
Contrary to the previous bulletin, February 26, 2018 is the official launch date. We hope this has been helpful and we look forward to seeing you all in your new uniforms on February 26th.
In Solidarity,
Component Uniform Committee