Over the past few weeks, the Union has heard from many of you with questions and concerns involving Preselect removals. We would like to provide a refresher on the rules that govern such changes.
On June 5, 2019, the Union and the employer reached an agreement (Click HERE to view) that the Company will not remove a Reserve Blockholder from a preselect pairing prior to report time to assign them to an earlier pairing unless the conditions of B8.26.09 are met on the preselect pairing or until the Company has reached the seniority of that Reserve Blockholder in the draft sequence pursuant to the Collective Agreement.
B8.26.09 An open pairing once awarded to a Reserve Blockholder will not subsequently be changed except in the event of an irregular operation caused by cancellation, consolidation, substitution, misconnection, overprojection or illegality at Home Base. The employee involved will revert to the reserve status s/he was scheduled to hold had s/he not been awarded the pairing.
For greater clarity, the parties agreed that Reserve Blockholders on Preselect pairings are a part of the Draft Sequence in the Junior Legal employee (B9.03.02.02) step of the sequence.
B9.03.02.02 Junior Legal Employee: Except Reserve Blockholders on inviolate days off cannot be drafted.
The Union and the Company also agreed that when the Company is covering flights under B9.03.03 Airport Move-Up due to insufficient time to apply the standard draft sequence, reserve crew members on preselect pairings will continue to be handled in reverse order of seniority among other crew members on their flight.
B9.03.03 Airport Move-Up: Where, due to insufficient notice, the standard draft sequence cannot be applied, flight coverage will be provided by move-up of partial or total crews in reverse order of seniority, to the extent required to minimize disruption of that crew or subsequent crews in the following sequence:
B9.03.03.01 Crews from another Base to Home Base on scheduled duty days only.
B9.03.03.02 Crews from that Base on scheduled duty days.
B9.03.03.03 Crews from that Base into scheduled days off.
Please note that if you are drafted off a preselect pairing at any point, draft premiums are only paid on non-inviolate days off (RDO’s) and please remember that you cannot be drafted on inviolate days off (GDO’s).
Click HERE for a link to the Reserve Handbook
Click HERE for a link to the Short Crewing Report form
Click HERE for a link to the Draft Reports form
If you are ever unsure whether the removal from a preselect was legal, please reach out to your local union office.
In solidarity,
