Policy grievance CHQ-Rouge-18-05 has been taken out of abeyance and we will be proceeding to arbitration. We are seeking dates with arbitrators. Members who are not able to fly, and who have requested accommodated work, have repeatedly been told by Air Canada Rouge that there will be no work provided. It is our view that Rouge is not accommodating these members to the point of undue hardship.
Instead, they are advised to take a leave without pay. At the same time, the employer has work that we believe our members could be performing. This is simply not good enough in our view and does not align with the requirements of the duty to accommodate. This puts these members in a difficult position of being without income prior to the start of their maternity leave.
In some cases, it will have a negative impact on what they are able to earn while in receipt of Employment Insurance benefits. Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge have a predominately female workforce who rely on this job as their source of income. At a time when they are needing to have support for themselves, and their family, Air Canada Rouge is leaving them in a very difficult position.
If you have been affected by this and a grievance has not yet been filed, we recommend that you reach out to your Local Office. This applies to both Mainline and Rouge. Our members deserve better, and we will hold the employer accountable. Air Canada has received so many accolades for being the best employer. We see this as being incongruent with what best employers do.
In Solidarity,
Your Component Grievance Committee