Education Committee Update

Dear Members,


Many of you have inquired about language courses as well as scholarships/bursaries. Although the scholarships/bursaries have yet to be brought forward and voted on at our General Membership Meeting May 21, 2021, we are pleased to offer some options pertaining to education and language courses offered through many different mediums. We have researched a few options for you, please note these options are not limited to what is presented by your Education Committee on behalf of your CUPE 4070 Executive:

Public Libraries offer Rosetta Stone, Mango Languages, Pronunciator Language Learning, and a variety of language learning options. Check with your local public library for details.

Many Universities offer Language Courses  through Continuing Education and Faculty of Extension programs, many of which are being offered online. Course costs are reflected below (these costs may vary depending on the institution):

Absolute beginners French: $145

French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish Level 1-3: $395 per level

Sign Language: $395


Language Apps:

Babbel: 

1 year subscription: $9.99/month

6 month subscription: $12.99/month

3 month subscription: $14.99/month

*They currently offer a 50% discount on 1 year subscriptions and 35% discount on 6 and 3 month subscriptions.
 

Rosetta Stone:

Lifetime unlimited membership: $179

With Live: $299 (this includes live conversations with real people of language you are learning)

Additional Learning Resources: 

CUPE offers courses to the membership as well, please have a look at what is available through CUPE Union Education. The following workshops are scheduled for May and June:

* Times are local in the province the virtual workshop is being held, please be sure to check the timezone when registering.

May

May 27 - 11:00am-2:00pm - Sexual Harassment Webinar: Resources and Law for Unions and Workers l Canadian Union of Public Employees

May 31 – 5:30pm-6:30pm - Bill 32: Dealing with Difficult People
Bill 32: Dealing with Difficult People | Canadian Union of Public Employees

June

June 4 – 6pm-9pm - Trustee Orientation
LET - Trustee Orientation (OLS) | Canadian Union of Public Employees

June 5 – 9am-noon - Secretary-Treasurer Orientation
Secretary-Treasurer Orientation (OLS) | Canadian Union of Public Employees

June 11 – 9am-4pm – Introduction to Stewarding Part 1 and Part 2– 9am-4pm
Introduction to Stewarding - Part 1 and Part 2 | Canadian Union of Public Employees

June 15 – 5:30pm – 8:30pm - LET – Virtual Membership Meetings
LET - Virtual Membership Meetings (OLS) | Canadian Union of Public Employees

If you have any questions, please contact your CUPE Local 4070 Education Committee at: education@cupe4070.ca or reach out to your Base VP.
 

Coursera:  an American online course provider, which was founded in 2012, who works with other universities and organizations to offer an array of online courses, certificates, and degrees.  Here are a few of their current courses being offered, however not limited to:

• Chinese for Beginners

• Buddhism and Modern Psychology

• Introduction to Yoga and Physiology

• Foundations of Mindfulness

• Financial Markets

• Psychological First Aid

• First Step Korean

• Stanford Introduction to Health

• Principles of Sustainable Finance

Other courses are offered within many different subject, including but not limited to:These are to just mention a few.  They offer courses in many topics…Arts and Humanities (338 courses), Business (1095 courses), Language Learning (150 courses) , Physical Science and Engineering (413 courses), Personal Development (137 courses).  Coursera offers courses for free, with the option to purchase the certificate prior to as well as after completion of the courses.

*Some other sites that are similar to Coursera are: alison.com, shawacademy.com.

We look forward to your attendance for the General Membership Meeting, May 21,2021, where your vote will count towards the future of our LOCAL 4070. For more information on the GMM CLICK HERE.

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Education Committee

Recall Notice – Swoop (WO) Members - June 2021

Dear Members,

The Union has been advised by the Company of further ‘recalls’ to active status for some Swoop Members who are currently on furlough. This recall will see a total of 34 Flight Attendants returned to active status. This recall is a result of increased frequency in the WO network heading into the summer:

Recall by Base:

YHM/YYZ: 22

YEG: 12

Swoop will be sending the recall notices for the YHM/YYZ co-base by end of day today, Thursday May 20, 2021 and will be effective June 11, 2021. Recall notices for the YEG base will be sent out by end of day on Tuesday May 25, 2021. Recall will occur based on the Company Service Lists that are published – the same lists that were used to determine those who were placed on inactive status and will be completed in order of the Company Service Lists.

In the Memorandum of Agreement agreed to between the Union and the Company, there exists two (2) options for the time-frame of recall and acceptance by the Member. The Company will execute “Option 2 - Recall.”Members receiving a Notice of Recall will have seven (7) days to respond either to accept or decline this recall.

To determine if you are eligible for this recall:

• Check the most recent personal email account that you have registered with the Company.

• Ensure to check your ‘spam/junk’ folder as well, just in case.

Ability to decline recall:

As per the MOU executed between Swoop and CUPE Local 4070, if recall is offered to you, you may elect to decline a recall, and await recall in the future should it occur. You may opt to decline any recall until such time as there are no other Members below you on your base’s Company Service List, at which time a decline to recall would be the end of your employment.

Urgency to respond ‘ACCEPT’ or ‘DECLINE’ to Recall Notices:

In previous recalls, the non-response rate (meaning no reply of ‘accept’ or ‘decline’ recall) has been high. As recovery of the industry progresses, recall may approach the lower end of a Company Service List in a specific base at any time.

When a Member does not respond to a recall notice, that Members’ response defaults to ‘DECLINE’. Should recall begin to be offered to Members in instances where there are no further Members below them on the list, the Member would need to accept the recall to their affected base.

NOTE: It will be clearly communicated by the Company to any Member that must accept that particular recall, as per the MOA referenced above. The Union urges Members to read every Notice of Recall carefully to avoid any issues that may arise from not accepting a required recall, should these become necessary.

Following this recall there will be a total of 107 active status Members at Swoop, with 48 in YEG and 59 in YHM/YYZ. There remain 128 Members on furlough and we will continue to work with the Company to recall every Member as soon as possible.

Should you have any questions for the Union, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Union via our contact form: www.cupe4070.ca/contact.


In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

General Membership Meeting UPDATE - May 21, 2021

Dear Members,

The next General Membership Meeting (GMM) will take place on May 21, 2021 at 12:00PT / 13:00MT / 15:00ET.  All Members in Good Standing of CUPE Local 4070 are encouraged to attend. 

**Please note: General Membership Meetings are only open to Members in Good Standing. To sign a card and pay the $5 initiation fee, please visit www.cupe4070.ca/signacard. Please ensure you have signed your card at least 24 hours prior to the GMM to ensure it is processed.

Due to COVID and ongoing public health orders prohibiting in person gatherings, the GMM will be held live via Zoom. 

You will not be able to attend the GMM without registering. Registration will be open from now through the GMM. Once your registration is approved, you will be sent a link for the meeting. We ask that you register as soon as possible to ensure us time to approve your registration.

Click here to register for the GMM

***Please call or log on prior to the start of the GMM. This will put you in the waiting room until the start of the meeting. If you encounter any technical difficulties, please email Communications@cupe4070.ca and include your name, workgroup, and employee number***

The Meeting Agenda, Secretary Treasurer's Performance Report, and meeting minutes from the last GMM (held on August 6, 2020 in YVR) will be posted  in the Member’s Portal cupe4070.ca no later than 24 hours prior to the start of this GMM. 

If you have not registered for the Member’s Portal please find the instructions below:

WestJet Members

WestJet Encore Members

Swoop Members

Priority Agenda Items:

• Bargaining for WO and WR

• Elections

• WS Collective Agreement - MSL and Implementation Timelines

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are attending the GMM via the phone number provided in the invitation, you will not be able to vote on any motions brought to the floor. You will only be able to vote when attending the GMM from the Zoom app or web link.

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

WestJet Encore Bargaining Update #5

Dear Members,

WestJet Encore Collective Bargaining took place from May 11 - 13, 2021, via Zoom between the Union and the Company. The work of your Elected Bargaining Committee, including Local 4070 President, Vice President, and CUPE National Bargaining Representatives, continued. Last week can be characterized as productive, and positive. Both sides appeared to demonstrate sincere regard towards understanding the other’s concerns and points of view. As a result, meaningful movement was achieved on both of the most significant articles towards reaching a Tentative Agreement (TA) on the overall Collective Agreement (CA): Scheduling and Pay Administration.

The Scheduling Article had been passed between the parties during our previous round of negotiations multiple times. This continued as we started the week of bargaining. Both sides made significant strides towards efficiently coming to an agreement. Scheduling was signed in TA. The week continued with other smaller Articles being signed in TA, as well as negotiations on the other large and significant article: Pay Administration. In essence: how your pay is calculated, including minimum daily credit, per diems, day and trip RIGS (Ratios In Guarantee), and many other issues related to pay calculations and payouts.

In total, 8 (eight) articles, and 1 (one) Letter of Understanding (related to the Scheduling Article) were signed off in Tentative Agreement. They are: 
 

● Discrimination or Harassment

● Compassionate Transfers

● Scheduling 

    ○ Letter of Understanding (LOU) No. 1 (related to Scheduling Article) 

● Union Communication 

● Hostage, Internment, or Death 

● Pay Administration 

● Charter Operations 

● Ad Hoc Assignments 

To provide the Membership with perspective in terms of where we are at in the Collective Bargaining process:
 

Following completion of TAs for each of the planned forty-seven (47) articles that will comprise the WestJet Encore proposed Collective Agreement, the final step prior to the conclusion of negotiations will be the bargaining of the all-encompassing monetary and financial package. Essentially, this will be the negotiation of anything throughout all of the tentatively agreed to articles that is related to monetary or financial matters. These articles have been negotiated in principle, with specific dollar or cost amounts that have been left “TBD” or ‘to be determined’. This is common practice in negotiations of first Collective Agreements following union certification. All TBD references will have their specific value negotiated in the final monetary package. 

The Committee, and your CUPE 4070 Executive wishes to assure you - we believe that we are well on the way towards presenting Membership with a Tentative Agreement in 2021. Having now completed negotiations on ‘Scheduling’ and ‘Pay Administration’, we feel very good about where we are in this process overall.

The next round of Bargaining for the WestJet Encore Collective Agreement is scheduled for May 25 - 27, 2021. We will update you again following these negotiations.

Bargaining dates are secured through the summer:

June 21 - 24, 2021

July 13 - 15, 2021

August 17 - 19, 2021

August 31 - September 2, 2021

September 14 - 16, 2021

September 28 - 30, 2021

Should you have any questions regarding the bargaining process, please contact us at: weare4070@cupe4070.ca.

 
In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 WestJet Encore Bargaining Committee

WestJet Workforce Update - May 2021

Dear Members,
 

As we continue with what we truly hope is the road to recovery, we would like to confirm the following recalls for each bargaining unit that are effective during the month of May. Consistent with what occurred in 2020 when recalls occurred, the Union will once again begin releasing monthly communications regarding workforce levels, once they are known.

As recalls for June 2021 have been announced for WestJet Members, but are still in process, we will update Membership on details of that recall in the next update.

WestJet (WS) Recall - May 2021: 

Total of 232 recalls, 75 from YVR, and 157 from YYZ.

The most junior Cabin Personnel hire date by base:

YVR - October 9, 2007

• 115 Accepted

• 15 Declined

• 10 No response

YYC - August 5, 2003

YYZ - January 3, 2011

• 157 Accepted

• 97 Declined

• 46 No response

WestJet Encore saw zero (0) recalls and no further layoffs, and Swoop saw a total of thirteen (13) recalls.

The Union will continue to work collaboratively with the Company to ensure that when signs of improving market demand are first seen. The Union responds efficiently and urgency, with the goal always of recalling as many Members across all bargaining units as soon as possible.

As always, if you require assistance from your Union, please contact us: cupe4070.ca/contact.

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

Recall Notice - WestJet (WS) Members - June 2021

Dear Members,

The Company has advised the Union of further recall for WestJet (WS) Members as follows:

- Recall will occur in the YYZ, YYC and YVR bases.
- Recall will be Expedited Recall, per the Layoff and Recall Article in the Collective Agreement.
- Recall Notices will be released later today for YYZ, followed by YVR and YYC in the next several days.
- Effective as soon as June 1, 2021 with necessary training scheduled for June prior to flying activity being added.

To ACCEPT or DECLINE Recall:
1) Check the personal email account that you have most recently registered with the Company related to your inactive status. If you need to change the email address on file with the Company, please reach out to peopleservices@westjet.com.
2) Ensure to check your ‘spam/junk’ folder, just in case.
3) The Company will provide official recall notice, or contingent recall notice to your personal email address, which will be marked in part by ‘SHORT NOTICE RECALL’.

Schedules following any mandatory training in June will be assigned at the Company’s discretion. The Union has been advised that Cabin Personnel recalled in June will likely see a high number of reserve days added to their schedule for the remainder of the month following any required training. Members accepting recall will be able to bid for the July 2021 block month onward.

Urgency to respond ‘ACCEPT’ or ‘DECLINE’ to Recall Notices:
In previous recalls, the non-response rate (meaning no reply of ‘accept’ or ‘decline’ recall) has been as high as 10 (ten) percent. As recovery of the industry progresses, recall may approach the lower end of a seniority list in any specific base at any time.

When a Member does not respond to a recall notice, that Members’ response defaults to ‘DECLINE’. In future recalls (standard, not expedited recall), should recall begin to be offered to Members in instances where there are no Members below them on the seniority list, the Cabin Personnel must accept the recall to their affected base or they will be deemed to no longer be employed by the Company, and recall rights will cease.

NOTE: It will be clearly indicated in your notice of recall that you must accept to maintain your relationship with the Company. The Union urges Members to read every Notice of Recall received to avoid any issues that may arise from not accepting a future recall. **By not accepting this type of recall your employment would be ended.**

Layoff and Recall article 5-06
“If a Cabin Personnel is recalled to their Affected Base they may decline a Notice of Recall and continue on layoff status provided there are more junior Cabin Personnel at their Affected Base in the same classification and with the same aircraft qualifications who remain on layoff. Once all junior Cabin Personnel are recalled, the Cabin Personnel must accept the recall to their Affected Base or they will be deemed to be no longer employed by the Company.”

The Union does not want any Member to be inadvertently, and permanently released from employment as a result of failing to respond to a recall notice. We urge all Members to respond to all Notices of Recall, either Accepting or Declining the recall, to ensure that this does not occur.

Company Seniority List vs. Master Seniority List:
This recall will use the Company Seniority List.

The work towards construction of the Master Seniority List (MSL) is well underway. We anticipate having the MSL released to Membership within approximately the next sixty (60) days.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to the Union at www.cupe4070.ca/contact should you have further questions regarding this recall.



In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

Recall Notice – (WR) WestJet Encore Members

Dear Members,

We are very pleased to share that the Union has been advised by the Company of ‘recalls’ to active status effective June 1, 2021.

Recall will occur based on the Company Service Lists that are published by base – the same lists that were used to determine those who were placed on furlough, and will be completed senior to junior within each base. These lists are available after log-in at www.cupe4070.ca.

This recall will see a total of 44 CCMs returned to active status:
- 14 CCMs in YYZ
- 30 CCMs in YYC

In the Memorandum of Agreement agreed to between the Union and the Company, there exist two (2) options for the time-frame of recall and acceptance by the Member. The Company will be executing the ‘Expedited Recall‘ Option 1 as outlined in the MOA (Articles 7 & 8).

To determine if you are eligible for recall as of June 1, 2021:
1) Check the personal email account that you have most recently registered with the Company related to your inactive status.
2) Ensure to check your ‘spam/junk’ folder, just in case.
3) The Company will provide official recall notice, or contingent recall notice which will be marked in part ‘SHORT NOTICE RECALL’ to that email address.

As indicated, this recall is being executed under the ‘Expedited Recall’ and Members eligible for recall will have only 48 HOURS to accept a recall should they desire. The Company has advised the Union that recall notices will go out later today.

Ability to decline recall:
As per the MOU executed between WestJet Encore and CUPE Local 4070, if you are senior enough to hold recall and recall is offered to you, you may elect to decline a recall, and await recall in the future should it occur. You may opt to decline any recall until such time as there are no other Members junior to you on your base’s Company Service List, at which time a decline to recall would be the end of your employment.

The Union and the Company continue to work together cooperatively towards the goal of seeing demand and network capacity grow to a point where recalling all Members that have been placed on furlough becomes a reality.

While today’s recall is positive news, there remain no guarantees of when and how many Members will be recalled in the future – this will be determined by customer demand and ultimately Network Planning. Please keep this in mind should you choose to decline an offer of recall.

Despite growing vaccination levels, and optimism that we may feel, it is important to remind ourselves that the virus is not gone, and your health and safety is of utmost importance. Please continue to follow all directions from the Union and the Company related to COVID-19 protocols, and please continue to use your PPE as appropriate and as directed.

For concerns or questions related to health and safety, please contact the CUPE 4070 WestJet Encore Health & Safety Committee at: wr.ohs@cupe4070.ca.

Additionally, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Union via our contact link: www.cupe4070.ca/contact.


In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

Swoop Bargaining Update #2

Dear Members,

Over the past number of weeks, your Swoop CUPE 4070 Bargaining Committee has been engaged in collective bargaining with the Company. The Committee has made excellent progress towards the goal of having a Tentative Agreement (TA) for the Membership to vote on as soon as possible, thereby forming our first ever Swoop Union Collective Agreement.

The most recent round of collective bargaining occurred this week, concluding yesterday, Thursday May 6, 2021.

Since our last update, the following Articles have been signed in TA:

• Union Flight Release

• Leaves of Absence

• Expenses

• Vacation, Statutory Holidays and Guaranteed Days Off (GDO)

• Reserve

• Scheduling

• Union Communication

• Discrimination or Harassment

• Compassionate Transfers

• Pay Administration

• Charter Operations and Special Purpose Flights

• Ad Hoc Assignments

By successfully completing negotiations of these twelve (12) Articles, including the two largest and most complex in the entire Agreement (Scheduling and Pay Administration), the Committee is on track towards delivering a full Tentative Agreement to you in 2021, baring significant roadblocks that at this time, we do not foresee. As we progress through the approximately twenty (20) remaining Articles in the next few months, we will provide further guidance as to estimated timelines for presenting the full Tentative Agreement to you for ratification.

The next scheduled Swoop bargaining is: May 18 - 20, 2021. Dates have been agreed to between the parties through September 2021, should they be necessary.

If you have questions regarding bargaining, reach out at: weare4070@cupe4070.ca.

As always, if you require assistance from your Union reach out to us: cupe4070.ca/contact.



In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Swoop Bargaining Committee

Recall Notice - WestJet (WS) Members YVR Base

Dear Members,

The Company has advised the Union of recalls for WestJet (WS) Members in the YVR base. A communication will be released by the Company later today, and recalls will be effective May 24, 2021 in order to facilitate necessary training to be fully qualified for the planned enhanced WS network flying as the summer months begin.

The Company is recalling into each base as necessary for their planned network flying, as per sub article 5.01 of the Layoff and Recall article in the Collective Agreement. Today’s recall is specific to the YVR base. The Union wishes to assure our Membership that we continue to work with our Employer to bring back Members across all of our bases as soon as possible.

Sub article 5.05 of the Layoff and Recall article of the Collective Agreement (CA) permits the Company to require an expedited response to a recall notice where “in exceptional circumstances, the Company requires additional Cabin Personnel on short notice and cannot provide the Cabin Personnel with seven (7) Calendar Days to respond to the Notice of Recall as outlined in 47-5.04 above, the Cabin Personnel will have forty-eight (48) hours from the date the email was sent to the Cabin Personnel to respond to the Company.”

In this instance due to significant training requirements, the Company will be using this 48-hour requirement for response to the recall notices.

The company will also be issuing contingency recall notices above and beyond their requirements in order to fill any vacancies due to Members that may wish to decline their recall notice. These notices will be indicated as such.

Please know that schedules will be assigned at the Company’s discretion and they have informed the Union that Cabin Personnel recalled in May will likely see a high number of reserve days assigned to them for the month of May due to the uncertainty of the federal government’s Covid response. Members accepting recall in this round will be able to bid for the June 2021 block month onward.

To find out if you are being offered a recall, check the personal email account that you registered with the Company when you began your most recent inactive status: Ensure to check your ‘spam/junk’ folder as well. The Company will provide any official recall notice to this address.

Ability to decline recall:

As per the Collective Agreement in place between WestJet and CUPE Local 4070, if you are able to hold recall, and recall is offered to you, you may elect to decline a recall and await a future recall. You may opt to decline any recall until such time as there are no other Members junior to you on the list, at which time a decline to recall would be the end of your employment.

Company Seniority List vs Master Seniority List:

As indicated during the CA ratification process, the Company Seniority List will continue to be utilized for layoff and recall until such time as the new Master Seniority List (MSL) under the CA has been constructed, released, and finalized, following the dispute period.

For clarification: This recall will use the Company Seniority List.

The work towards construction of the MSL has begun involving both the Union and the Company. We will separately communicate an update on this and other CA implementation progress soon. Your Union is pleased to be able to communicate this positive news today for our YVR based WS Members.

Despite increasing vaccination rates, please continue to follow all directions related to COVID-19 protocols from the Company and the Union, and use your PPE as appropriate and directed.

For concerns or questions related to health and safety, please contact the CUPE 4070 WestJet Health & Safety Committee at: ws.ohs@cupe4070.ca.

Additionally, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Union via our contact form: www.cupe4070.ca/contact should you have further questions regarding this recall.


In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

May 2021 Recall Notice – Swoop Members

Dear Members,

The Union has been advised by the Company of another round of ‘recalls’ to active status (back-to-work) for some Swoop Members who are currently inactive. This recall will see a total of 13 Flight Attendants returned to active status. This recall is a result of increased frequency in the WO network:

Required Recall by Base:
7 - YEG
6 - YHM/YYZ

Swoop will be sending the recall notices on Monday May 3, 2021 by end of day and will be effective May 7, 2021. Recall will occur based on the Company Service Lists that are published – the same lists that were used to determine those who were placed on inactive status and will be completed in order of the Company Service Lists.

In the Memorandum of Agreement agreed to between the Union and the Company, there exists two (2) options for the time-frame of recall and acceptance by the Member. The Company will execute the ‘Expedited Recall‘ Option 1 as outlined in the MOA (Articles 6 & 7).

To determine if you are eligible for this recall:

Check the personal email account that you registered with the Company when you began your inactive status. Ensure to check your ‘spam/junk’ folder as well, just in case. The Company will provide your official recall notice which will be marked in part “EXPEDITED RECALL” to this email address.

As indicated, this recall is being executed under the ‘Expedited Recall’ and Members eligible for recall will only have 48 HOURS to accept a recall should they desire.

Ability to decline recall:
As per the MOU executed between Swoop and CUPE Local 4070, if recall is offered to you, you may elect to decline a recall, and await recall in the future should it occur. You may opt to decline any recall until such time as there are no other Members below you on your base’s Company Service List, at which time a decline to recall would be the end of your employment.
This recall will see a new total of 74 active status Members at Swoop, with 36 in YEG and 38 in YHM/YYZ as of May 7, 2021.

Should you have any questions for the Union, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Union via our contact form: www.cupe4070.ca/contact.


In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

National Day of Mourning

Hello CUPE 4070 Members,
 
On April 28th of each year, the National Day of Mourning is a chance for us to remember and reflect on those that have been hurt or have died on the job. Roughly 1000 workers a year in Canada lose their lives, and we as your Heath & Safety Committee Members believe this is too high and strive everyday to prevent this number from increasing.

We have been hit hard by this pandemic and have had Members directly impacted from Covid-19. The sacrifices made over the last 13 months has been nothing short of amazing, and we can now finally see some light at the end of the tunnel.  Thank you!

Our goal moving forward is to support our Members with increased awareness, better legislation, and the resources necessary to keep us safe.

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Health & Safety Committee
WestJet - ws.ohs@cupe4070.ca
WestJet Encore - wr.ohs@cupe4070.ca
Swoop - wo.ohs@cupe4070.ca
 

Watch a message from CUPE’s National Officers

Recall Notice - WestJet (WS) Members

April 27, 2021

Dear Members,

The Union is thrilled to inform you that the Company has advised us of recalls for WestJet (WS) Members in the YYZ base. A communication will be released by the Company later today, and will be effective May 10, 2021 in order to facilitate necessary training to be fully qualified for the planned enhanced WS network flying as the summer months begin.
 
The Company is recalling into each base as necessary for their planned network flying, as per sub article 5.01 of the Layoff and Recall article in the Collective Agreement. While today’s recall is specific to the YYZ base, the Union wishes to assure our Membership that we continue to work with our Employer to bring back Members across all of our bases, and hope to have further positive developments soon. It is anticipated that the Company may be in a position to announce YVR base recalls as early as next week.
 
Sub article 5.05 of the Layoff and Recall article of the Collective Agreement (CA) permits the Company to require an expedited response to a recall notice where “in exceptional circumstances, the Company requires additional Cabin Personnel on short notice and cannot provide the Cabin Personnel with seven (7) Calendar Days to respond to the Notice of Recall as outlined in 47-5.04 above, the Cabin Personnel will have forty-eight (48) hours from the date the email was sent to the Cabin Personnel to respond to the Company.”
 
In this instance due to significant training requirements, the Company will be using this 48-hour requirement for response to the recall notices.
 
The company will also be issuing contingency recall notices above and beyond their requirements in order to fill any vacancies due to Members that may wish to decline their recall notice. These notices will be indicated as such.
 
Please know that schedules will be assigned at the Company’s discretion and they have informed the Union that Cabin Personnel recalled in May will likely see a high number of reserve days assigned to them for the month of May due to the uncertainty of the federal government’s Covid response. Members accepting recall in this round will be able to bid for the June 2021 block month onward.
 
To find out if you are being offered a recall, check the personal email account that you registered with the Company when you began your most recent inactive status: Ensure to check your ‘spam/junk’ folder as well. The Company will provide any official recall notice to this address.
 
Ability to decline recall:
 
As per the Collective Agreement in place between WestJet and CUPE Local 4070, if you are able to hold recall, and recall is offered to you, you may elect to decline a recall and await a future recall. You may opt to decline any recall until such time as there are no other Members junior to you on the list, at which time a decline to recall would be the end of your employment.
 
Company Seniority List vs Master Seniority List:
 
As indicated during the CA ratification process, the Company Seniority List will continue to be utilized for layoff and recall until such time as the new Master Seniority List (MSL) under the CA has been constructed, released, and finalized, following the dispute period.
 
For clarification: This recall will use the Company Seniority List.
 
The work towards construction of the MSL has begun involving both the Union and the Company. We will separately communicate an update on this and other CA implementation progress soon.
 
Your Union is pleased to be able to communicate this positive news today for our YYZ based WS Members. Please be assured that we are in touch daily with the Company, and we hope to be able to bring further positive news for all bases soon. 
 
Despite increasing vaccination rates, please continue to follow all directions related to COVID-19 protocols from the Company and the Union, and use your PPE as appropriate and directed.
 
For concerns or questions related to health and safety, please contact the CUPE 4070 WestJet Health & Safety Committee at: ws.ohs@cupe4070.ca.
 
Additionally, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Union via our contact form: www.cupe4070.ca/contact should you have further questions regarding this recall.
 



In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

WestJet Encore Bargaining Update #4

Dear Members,

Last week, Round 5 of WestJet Encore Collective Bargaining took place April 7 - 9, 2021, via Zoom between the Union and the Company. The work of your Elected Bargaining Committee, including the Local 4070 President, Vice President, and CUPE National Bargaining Representatives, continues as we press ahead with the priorities that the Membership sent us to the negotiating table to achieve.

The work with both the Scheduling and the Reserve Articles passed back and forth multiple times. These two articles are large and comprehensive in nature. As a result, significant time by both parties is being invested to ensure well functioning and concise language to ensure the needs of each side is secured.

As previously mentioned in Bargaining Update #3: new concepts are being negotiated, and with this, the necessity for proper and diligent review of all proposals and their overarching impact on our Membership continues to be the top priority. One small change in the Scheduling Article can lead to unintended impacts across multiple other facets of the Agreement. The Committee ensures full diligence in reviewing all proposed language from the Company.

After two more days of proposal exchanges, by Friday morning a Tentative Agreement (TA) on the Reserve Article was reached. This has now been signed by both parties.

The remainder of Friday saw the Union Committee perfecting its proposed return of the 11-page Scheduling Article. This was completed by the Committee, and before the end of the day the Union presented its proposal back to the Company. Sound and detailed work has been put into this article by both sides. The Company has taken our proposal away and will respond at the start of our next scheduled round of bargaining. We are optimistic that a TA will soon be reached, with the majority of the content already agreed to in this Article.

Our next round of WestJet Encore bargaining is scheduled for May 11 - 13, 2021. Following reaching TA on the ongoing Scheduling negotiations, both sides have agreed to take on the Pay Administration Article. This is another large and significant Article, and includes, but is not limited to, wage rates/grids, how and when rates of pay are applied, daily and pairing minimums.

We have understood the mandate that our Members have sent us to the negotiating table with, and we will continue to work hard to secure the much needed improvements in this Article.

Should you have any questions regarding the bargaining process, please contact us at: weare4070@cupe4070.ca.


In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 WestJet Encore Bargaining Committee

April 19, 2021 Recall Notice – Swoop Members

Dear Members,

The Union has been advised by the Company of another round of ‘recalls’ to active status (back-to-work) for some Swoop Members who are currently inactive. This recall will see a total of 12 Flight Attendants in the YEG base returned to active status. This recall is a result of an influx of Members being removed from duty as a result of COVID-19 contact tracing.

We are pleased to inform you that the recalls for Swoop have been released today by the Company and will be effective April 19, 2021. Recall will occur based on the Company Service Lists that are published – the same lists that were used to determine those who were placed on inactive status and will be completed in order of the Company Service Lists.

In the Memorandum of Agreement agreed to between the Union and the Company, there exists two (2) options for the time-frame of recall and acceptance by the Member. The Company will execute the ‘Expedited Recall‘ Option 1 as outlined in the MOA (Articles 6 & 7).

To determine if you are eligible for this recall:

Check the personal email account that you registered with the Company when you began your inactive status. Ensure to check your ‘spam/junk’ folder as well, just in case. The Company will provide your official recall notice which will be marked in part “EXPEDITED RECALL” to this email address.

As indicated, this recall is being executed under the ‘Expedited Recall’ and Members eligible for recall will only have 48 HOURS to accept a recall should they desire.

Ability to decline recall:
As per the MOU executed between Swoop and CUPE Local 4070, if recall is offered to you, you may elect to decline a recall, and await recall in the future should it occur. You may opt to decline any recall until such time as there are no other Members below you on your base’s Company Service List, at which time a decline to recall would be the end of your employment.

While the Union and the Employer are committed to recalling everyone who has been placed on inactive status as soon as possible, there are no guarantees of when and how many Members will be recalled in the future – this will ultimately be determined by customer demand. Please keep this in mind if you choose to decline an offer of recall.

Should you have any questions for the Union, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Union via our contact form: www.cupe4070.ca/contact.


In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

National Survey on Harassment and Violence at Work

Dear Members,

As a chartered Local of CUPE, Local 4070 is affiliated with The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). The CLC Women’s Advisory Committee is conducting a national survey on workplace violence and harassment. This survey is open to workers of all genders and results of this research will inform policy and education initiatives on workplace violence and sexual harassment. 

Take the survey now

The survey is being conducted by the Canadian Labour Congress in partnership with research experts at Western University. It is the first ever survey on violence and sexual harassment with a national reach in Canada, and will help unions, employers, and policy makers create safer workplaces for everyone.

This survey is for everyone - whether or not you have experienced or witnessed workplace violence or harassment. It will take approximately 10 to 30 minutes to complete, and all respondents will remain anonymous.

Your participation makes a difference! Thank you for helping make work safer for everyone.

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

CUPE 4070 General Membership Meeting - May 2021

Dear WestJet Members,

We are excited to announce the next General Membership Meeting (GMM) for CUPE Local 4070. Due to the restrictions created by the pandemic the GMM will be held virtually:

Friday May 21, 2021 

12:00PT / 13:00MT / 15:00ET  - 13:00PT / 14:00MT / 16:00ET

Location: Zoom

All Members In Good Standing (have signed a card and paid the $5 initiation fee) are eligible to participate. The meeting will be 60 minutes and dedicated to the official meeting agenda, and allow motions from the floor.

If you have not signed a card and would like to participate you can sign your card here.

The General Membership Meeting will be held over Zoom Webinar. Information on how to attend will be released in early May.

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

You Matter

Dear Members,

It has been now a year since the pandemic decimated our industry. A year since we either had to say goodbye for a while, or see our friends go without knowing when we would see them in the skies again.
This virus has affected us all, every person encountered unique challenges, and continues to. We have been through moments we never thought we would. We have learned, we have cried, we have lost contact with those we love; some of you may have lost a loved one.

For those of you still flying, thank you. Thank you for continuing to smile and making a difference in the lives of those who work with you as well as our guests. I admire your resilience and your positivity. Thank you for continuing to show up, regardless of the weather, different schedules for buses, trains and life in general. We know how hard you work. No matter where we are in the organization, we are all part of an ever-growing spider’s web and depend on each other to keep strength and unity: our solidarity.

For those of you who are not flying with us now, know that you are missed. We want you back as soon as possible. We cannot wait to see you strutting through the airports and down the aisles of our beautiful Magenta accented aircrafts. We cannot wait to hug you again and see your smiles during a crew change, we cannot wait to catch up on a layover, or meet for a coffee on a day off…. WE CANNOT WAIT.

It's just not the same without you. You are part of the Swoop family, and I want to make sure you know how important you are. YOU MATTER.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or anyone of your elected union representatives, regardless of whether you are Active or Inactive. We are Swoop, we are CUPE 4070.

I am here for you if you need me, as is the entire team across your union local: cupe4070.ca/contact

Again, YOU MATTER!!! Be safe 😊.


In Solidarity,
Allam Ramsaran, CUPE 4070 WO Base VP

Union Clarification on Company Announcement re: Eastern Service Resumption

Dear Members,

You may have seen the Company press release and/or media coverage that WestJet and WestJet Encore will be resuming services in June to: Quebec City, Moncton, Fredericton, Charlottetown and Sydney, NS.

The Union was provided a briefing on this news by the Company on Tuesday, March 23, 2021. We would like to share with our Membership the context surrounding this announcement, and its implications for our Membership.

At present, across all three networks, we are only operating approximately 8% of the capacity that we were prior to the pandemic. The resumption of service to these five stations will increase that capacity by only 1%, for a total network capacity of 9% of pre-pandemic levels.

Based on today’s announcement, combined with the fact that current active Members are blocked significantly lower than their minimum monthly guarantee (MMG), the Company has indicated that this news will not result in recalls at any of the three airlines for Cabin Crew or Pilots.

While this news does not immediately mean recalls for our Members, signs of progress and rebuilding are positive, and always welcome.

We will continue to keep you informed as information related to recovery, route or destination returns, and ultimately, recall information becomes known to the Union.

This has been a long and very difficult time for all of our Members, whether active or not. Please know that each of us elected to represent you recognize this, and we will continue to lobby governments on all of our behalf, along with the CUPE Airline Division and with our Employer. We remain hopeful that further into the summer we will see more restrictions lifted and further signs of recovery for our Company and our sector overall.

As always, if you have any questions, please contact us at: www.cupe4070.ca/contact.
 

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

WR MOA Townhall Update – Website and MOA Information

Dear WestJet Encore Members,

We are excited to be able to share with you the recording of the townhall regarding the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). For those that were not able to attend you can now log on to the Union website through the members portal at and view the walkthrough of the document with explanations to the intent and meaning of each article. A reminder that this information is confidential and for the exclusive review of the WestJet Encore Members of CUPE Local 4070.

Please do not share this information outside of the WestJet Encore Members’ group, including Social Media.

Website
Our website will play a vital role in rolling out this MOA. Please read this email if you need help accessing the website portal or to reset your password.

Memorandum of Agreement Page
We have spent much of our time since our last update creating what we are certain will be an important tool for you to become familiar with the TA being presented. You will find a video with a walkthrough of the MOA and Q&A period.

Everything having to do with the MOA exists in the following section of the Portal and is accessible only to WestJet Encore (WR) Members.

To access the MOA video, click on this link or follow these steps:

www.cupe4070.ca -> Portal -> Login to Portal -> WestJet Encore -> Click Here to view archived WestJet Encore MOA Townhall.

Memorandum of Agreement Document and Voting.
The MOA will not be circulated until such time where the WestJet Encore Bargaining Committee has reached a Tentative Agreement (TA) and is prepared for a ratification vote. All Members will vote for the TA alongside the MOA as one vote. For now the only way to view the contents of the MOA is to review the Webinar video.

All WestJet Encore Members, regardless of having signed a Union card, are eligible to vote in the TA/MOA ratification process when it’s time - this applies to all active and inactive Members. Any Member who has not signed a Union card or does not currently have an email address on file with the Local are asked to complete the Sign a Card form in order to ensure you receive your email notifications and bargaining updates from the union, and become a full voting Member in Good Standing. If you do not want to sign a card but would still like to participate in the vote, you are encouraged to fill out the Rand Form as soon as possible.



In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team

WestJet (WS) Members Ratify First Ever Collective Agreement

Dear WestJet Encore and Swoop Members,


We are excited to report that the WestJet (WS) Members of our Local have ratified their first Collective Agreement with their Employer on Saturday March 20, 2021 following a 24 month negotiation.

All CUPE Local 4070 Members in the WestJet (WS) bargaining unit immediately fall under their binding Collective Agreement (CA).

Full attention of the Local and CUPE National representatives are now focused on obtaining Tentative Agreements at both the Swoop (WO) and WestJet Encore (WR) negotiating tables.

We have added an aggressive schedule of bargaining dates at both tables in the next eight (8) to ten (10) weeks, with the goal of presenting Tentative Agreements to each bargaining unit Membership as quickly as possible, while ensuring the best possible language is negotiated for our working conditions.

Current confirmed dates for bargaining are:

Swoop (WO)
March 23-25, 2021
April 14-16, 2021
May 4-6, 2021
May 18-20, 2021
June 1-3, 2021
June 15-17, 2021
June 28-30, 2021
 
WestJet Encore (WR)
April 7-9, 2021
April 20-23, 2021
May 11-13, 2021
May 25-27, 2021
June 8-10, 2021
June 21-24, 2021
 
Please join in congratulating our brothers and sisters from WS in ratification of their very first, historic Collective Agreement. We eagerly await the celebration of reaching the final steps in both the WR and WO Collective Agreements for each bargaining unit.

As always, if you have any questions, please contact us at: www.cupe4070.ca/contact.


In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team