Update from the Executive Board

Dear Members,

We are writing today to inform you that Crystal Hill, President of CUPE 4070, will be away on unpaid leave, per article 11-9.01 of the WS Collective Agreement. Crystal will be on an assignment with CUPE National until October 21, 2022.

In the interim, Alia Hussain, Vice-President of CUPE 4070, will be acting President in Crystal’s absence. The decision has been made to not appoint a Vice-President due to the brief absence. The Executive team will redistribute their workload and work together to ensure all tasks are being completed.

If there are any changes to this timeline, the Union is committed to advising the Membership accordingly.


In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team
Interim CUPE 4070 President, Alia Hussain
CUPE 4070 Secretary-Treasurer, Alex Grigoriev
CUPE 4070 Recording Secretary, Marco Di Virgilio
WestJet YVR Base VP, Chris Brewer
WestJet YYC Base VP, Brigitte Benoit
WestJet YYZ Base VP, Bryan Hansraj
WestJet Encore YYC Base VP, Colleen Tracey
WestJet Encore YYZ Base VP, Mauricio Mejia
Swoop Base VP, Allan Ramsarran

October 2022 Newsletter

Special Membership Meeting Part 2 - October 19, 2022

Dear Members,

We held our Special Membership Meeting (SMM) on October 5, as previously communicated. Due to the length of the meeting, there was a motion to continue the SMM at a future date. The rescheduled date was set to October 19, 2022, per the amended motion on the floor.

This SMM will be a continuation of the previous meeting, and is again, specific to amendments to the CUPE 4070 bylaws. This meeting is a continuation from where the last meeting left off.

Special Membership Meetings differ from General Membership Meetings in that “no business shall be transacted at the Special Membership Meeting other than that for which the meeting is called, and notice is given.” More information on Special Membership Meetings can be found in Section 5b of the CUPE 4070 Bylaws.  

Previously, a bylaw amendment was facilitated by providing the Membership with a package and voting period. Upon further review of the bylaws, the Union Executive has determined that this process was not as it was written or intended in the bylaws. 

SECTION 17 - BYLAWS 

(b) Amendments  

These bylaws can only be amended if:  

(i) the amendment does not conflict with the CUPE Constitution; 

(ii) the amendment is approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of members voting at a General Membership Meeting or at a Special Membership Meeting called for that purpose; and  

(iii) notice of the intention to propose the amendment was given at least seven (7) days before at a previous membership meeting or sixty (60) days before in writing. 

Members in Good Standing (that have signed a Union Card) are asked to register for our Teams meeting using this link:  

Meeting Sign-up

The SMM will take place on October 19, 2022 at
09:00 PT / 10:00 MT / 12:00 ET 
*Membership status will be verified*

  Meeting Agenda

Bylaw Amendments

Bylaw Amendments FAQs 

We look forward to seeing you there!   

If you have difficulty accessing the SMM and are a Member in Good Standing, please email communications@cupe4070.ca for immediate assistance.

If you experienced difficulties accessing the last SMM please email communications@cupe4070.ca with what the error was, if you were able to fix it, how the error was fixed. We are hoping to eliminate these errors in the future.

If you can't make it to the SMM and have questions for us, please use the "Hot Topics" form so that we can answer them in a future issue of our monthly newsletter: Hot Topics For CUPE 4070 Newsletter

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

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team
CUPE 4070 President, Crystal Hill
CUPE 4070 Vice-President, Alia Hussain
CUPE 4070 Secretary-Treasurer, Alex Grigoriev
CUPE 4070 Recording Secretary, Marco Di Virgilio
WestJet YVR Base VP, Chris Brewer
WestJet YYC Base VP, Brigitte Benoit
WestJet YYZ Base VP, Bryan Hansraj
WestJet Encore YYC Base VP, Colleen Tracey
WestJet Encore YYZ Base VP, Mauricio Mejia
Swoop Base VP, Allan Ramsarran

WestJet Encore Non-Monetary MOA

Dear WestJet Encore Members,

We are presenting you with a Memorandum of Agreement as per Article 8-1.05 of the WestJet Encore Collective Agreement:  

"8-1.05 The Parties acknowledge that due to this being a first Collective Agreement, there may be instances in which the Parties need to review and amend language in the Collective Agreement. It is also understood that any amendments must be with the agreement of both Parties and shall be of ‘net-zero’ financial cost to the Company. In January of each year, either Party may request a meeting to discuss issues as pursuant to this Article."

As implementation of our first ever Collective Agreement continues, it is recognized that we are likely to identify areas where some changes may be advantageous. The Union and Company met on several occasions, and negotiated several non-monetary changes, or ‘net-zero’, to wording and articles in the CA; to address the needs of both WestJet Encore Members and the Company. Attached you will find the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Union and the Company resulting from these recent negotiations.  
 

 CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MOA

Townhall
To provide context and answer Member questions, your Union will hold a Townhall related to this MOA ratification vote.

Date: October 18, 2022 
Time: 13:00PT / 14:00MT / 16:00ET 
Location: Microsoft Teams

Who can attend: All WestJet Encore Members, regardless of having signed a Union card.

REGISTRATION LINK

NOTE: You must register and attend the Townhall using your personal email address. Registration will be verified.

We look forward to your participation in this special MOA Townhall.  

 
Voting Process
All WestJet Encore Members, regardless of having signed a Union card, are legally allowed to participate in the MOA vote. 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 Rand Form on our website to ensure you receive your MOA voting package. If you would like to become a Member in Good Standing you can sign a card HERE.  

An electronic voting link will be sent out at the end of the Townhall.

Voting Opens:
October 18, 2022 @ 14:00PT / 15:00MT / 17:00ET

Voting Closes:
October 25, 2022 @ 14:00PT / 15:00MT / 17:00ET

Your secure voting link will arrive via email from: 
vote@simplyvoting.com

If you do not find your voting link in your email, please check your spam/junk folder. 

If you are still unable to locate this link, please email Marco Di Virgilio, CUPE 4070 Recording Secretary at vote@cupe4070.ca. Please include your full name, airline, and employee number in the email.  

Website Portal 
If you have not already registered to the website portal, please follow these instructions:

To register:
Work Group: WestJet Encore
Visit www.cupe4070.ca/westjet-encore-sign-up
Enter password: CUPE4070
Click the “Subscribe” link
Complete the registration form
You will receive an email confirmation. Follow the steps in the email.
 
Important:
DO NOT forward this email to anyone
DO NOT share the password with anyone
All registrations will be verified
 
Very Important:
USE A PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESS. DO NOT USE YOUR COMPANY EMAIL.
Use the email address on record with the Local (the one this email was sent to).
 
If after completing your registration if you still cannot access the Member section of the website, please use the contact page and select LOG-IN ISSUES. 

NOTE: You will receive an automatic reply once you set-up your account with a link to verify your email address. Please double check your spam/junk folder in case this email lands there. Once you have confirmed your email address in the link provided in the email, you can go ahead and access the password protected area of our website.

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team
WestJet Encore YYC Base VP, Colleen Tracey
WestJet Encore YYZ Base VP, Mauricio Mejia
CUPE 4070 President, Crystal Hill
CUPE 4070 Vice-President, Alia Hussain
CUPE 4070 Secretary-Treasurer, Alex Grigoriev
CUPE 4070 Recording Secretary, Marco Di Virgilio
WestJet YVR Base VP, Chris Brewer
WestJet YYC Base VP, Brigitte Benoit
WestJet YYZ Base VP, Bryan Hansraj
Swoop Base VP, Allan Ramsarran

Special Membership Meeting Reminder!

Dear Members,


This is a reminder that today, October 5 at 11:00 PT / 12:00 MT / 14:00 ET, we will be holding our SMM.

If you have not registered yet, please CLICK HERE to register.

Please review this email for more information. This link is where you will find information on who is eligible to participate in the SMM, how to register for the event on Microsoft Teams, and where to find information for review what has been posted on our Member Portal.

If you have difficulty accessing the SMM and are a Member in Good Standing, please email communications@cupe4070.ca for immediate assistance.

If you can't make it to the SMM and have questions for us, please use the "Hot Topics" form so that we can answer them in a future issue of our monthly newsletter: Hot Topics For CUPE 4070 Newsletter

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the SMM.



In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team
CUPE 4070 President, Crystal Hill
CUPE 4070 Vice-President, Alia Hussain
CUPE 4070 Secretary-Treasurer, Alex Grigoriev
CUPE 4070 Recording Secretary, Marco Di Virgilio
WestJet YVR Base VP, Chris Brewer
WestJet YYC Base VP, Brigitte Benoit
WestJet YYZ Base VP, Bryan Hansraj
WestJet Encore YYC Base VP, Colleen Tracey
WestJet Encore YYZ Base VP, Mauricio Mejia
Swoop Base VP, Allan Ramsarran

National Truth and Reconciliation Day - 2022

Dear Members,

September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

This day honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities.

As part of CUPE 4070's dedication to reconciliation, we understand that truth must come first. Lindsay Poll, Local 4070 CARD Chair and member of Treaty 6 territory and Métis Region 4 will be in the office offering support to members from an Indigenous framework as “Auntie in Residence”.

The Union has secured permission from the YYC Airport authority for traditional smudging ceremonies at YYC in the CUPE 4070 office, located on the arrivals level behind carousel 7.

Please come by and participate in ceremony - reflect on this borrowed land and our individual responsibility to truth and reconciliation.

Orange Shirt Day
Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters”. The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.

Honouring the legacy of Indian Residential Schools
The Indian Residential School system operated across Canada between the 1870s and the late 1990s. Indian Residential Schools were created to separate Indigenous children from their families and communities, and to systematically strip away their traditions, cultural practices and languages.

More than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children from across the country were forced to attend Indian Residential Schools, which were often located far from their homes. Many never made it home. 

Learn and reflect 
Take some time to learn about the stories of the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples and the ongoing legacy of Indian Residential School.  

Links for videos:  

Music video - https://youtu.be/Whg_DrisN18 

Braves wear braids documentary - https://youtu.be/U4B_hUs8A4E 

nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up - https://www.nfb.ca/film/nipawistamasowin-we-will-stand-up/  

94 Calls to action   https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/indigenous-people/aboriginal-peoples-documents/calls_to_action_english2.pdf 

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Committee Against Racism and Discrimination (CARD)

Lifting of Government Mandates

Dear Members, 

On September 26, 2022, the Government of Canada announced the lifting of mask mandates, along with other travel restrictions, effective October 1, 2022. 

This was a regulatory change, however, the Company and your Union participated in a joint risk assessment. Beginning on October 1, the Company has advised they will continue to provide PPE and that wearing a mask will be optional for crew and guests. The Employee Health Team will continue to have on hand and make available, home testing kits. International layover requirements will continue to depend on destination.

We know that throughout the COVID-19 pandemic the government mandates have been quite divisive. At this time, it has been deemed safe to be on board an aircraft without a mask starting October 1. Please be reminded that some or all protocols could come back if needed, and always be mindful of crew members and guest choice.

This link illustrates the position of CUPE National and the CUPE Airline Division: https://cupe.ca/cupe-calls-transport-canada-ensure-ongoing-protections-flight-attendants?utm_medium=email&utm_source=CUPEToday

If you have additional personal concerns, please contact your Base VP and CUPE 4070 Occupational Health and Safety Committee: cupe4070.ca/contact 

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Health and Safety Committee & CUPE 4070 Executive Team

Special Membership Meeting - Bylaw Amendments and Vote: Registration, Agenda & Proposed Amendments

Dear Members,

We will be holding a Special Membership Meeting (SMM) on October 5, 2022. This SMM is specific to bylaw amendments for the Local. Attending this Special Membership Meeting will include the proposed bylaw amendments and vote.

Special Membership Meetings differ from General Membership Meetings in that “no business shall be transacted at the Special Membership Meeting other than that for which the meeting is called, and notice is given.” More information on Special Membership Meetings can be found in Section 5b of the CUPE 4070 Bylaws.

Previously, a bylaw amendment was facilitated by providing the Membership with a package and voting period. Upon further review of the bylaws, the Union Executive has determined that this process was not as it was written or intended in the bylaws.

SECTION 17 - BYLAWS 

(b) Amendments  

These bylaws can only be amended if:  

(i) the amendment does not conflict with the CUPE Constitution; 

(ii) the amendment is approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of members voting at a General Membership Meeting or at a Special Membership Meeting called for that purpose; and  

(iii) notice of the intention to propose the amendment was given at least seven (7) days before at a previous membership meeting or sixty (60) days before in writing. 

Members in Good Standing (that have signed a Union Card) are asked to register for our Teams meeting using this link:  

Meeting Sign-up 

The SMM will start at 11:00 PT / 12:00 MT / 14:00 ET 
*Membership status will be verified*

  Meeting Agenda

Bylaw Amendments

Bylaw Amendments FAQs 

We look forward to seeing you there!   

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

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team
CUPE 4070 President, Crystal Hill
CUPE 4070 Vice-President, Alia Hussain
CUPE 4070 Secretary-Treasurer, Alex Grigoriev
CUPE 4070 Recording Secretary, Marco Di Virgilio
WestJet YVR Base VP, Chris Brewer
WestJet YYC Base VP, Brigitte Benoit
WestJet YYZ Base VP, Bryan Hansraj
WestJet Encore YYC Base VP, Colleen Tracey
WestJet Encore YYZ Base VP, Mauricio Mejia
Swoop Base VP, Allan Ramsarran

A Message from your Commuter Committee

Hello WestJet & WestJet Encore Commuters and fellow Members, 

My name is Corie Ives, I am a commuter from Winnipeg and your elected YVR Commuter Committee rep. I am writing to you as I am the Chair of the Commuter Committee and would like to take this time to introduce myself and share some important information with you. The Committee is comprised of myself, Davide Orsi YYC base (commuter from Nanaimo), and our Executive Liaison Bryan Hansraj, WS YYZ Base VP. We currently have vacancies for our WR rep, and WS YYZ rep. 

Our Committee is responsible for ensuring the areas of the Collective Agreement (CA) that pertain to commuting Members are followed, advocate for commuters, answer commuting questions, report issues to our Executive Liaison to inform the Board, and reporting to the Membership at the GMM. This is outlined in the CUPE 4070 Bylaws (LINK). 

CUPE 4070 Members commute from across the country and are a large portion of our Membership. Losing the ability to commute would severely impact WestJet and WestJet Encore operations. We know that the recent announcements of the Employer, reductions of service, and increased loads has had an impact on commuters reporting safely on time to their base. Like all CUPE 4070 Members, Commuters are beyond dedicated, organized, and passionate about their job. Commuting adds an extra layer to their lives as Cabin Personnel / Cabin Crew Members as it imposes longer distance to report for duty, can be stressful, longer times away from home, and so much more. We recognize the challenges of commuting, and we appreciate the understanding and support of our colleagues. 

Your CUPE 4070 Commuter Committee has been active in responding to Member questions and engaging with other parties at CUPE 4070 to advocate for commuter issues to be addressed, identifying opportunities for future changes and improvements for commuters. We are also advocating for jumpseat agreements with other Canadian carriers (to be discussed at the December 2022 Airline Division Counsel of Presidents meeting), alternative modes of transportation, and building a list of discounted hotels.  

We want to remind you that when using the Available Crew Member (ACM) Policy you do not have to be in uniform but must have access to your uniform. If you choose to commute not in uniform, you must adhere to the Standby Dress Code and you are not liquid exempt. Also, commuters are given priority access to available flight attendant jump seats per Article 19-2.01 of the CA. It is important to note that while you do not require a buffer flight currently, it is your responsibility to report on time. If you miss your report, you will be coded UAV and trigger article 38-2 Missed Report Time. 

We would love to be able to connect with our commuting Members and ask that if you are a commuter, to let us know using this form:

COMMUTER FORM 

Should you have any commuting questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Commuter Committee: we are here to support you and advocate for you! If you have suggestions, or found deals that may benefit other Commuters, please share them with us so we can make the information available to all Members. To contact the Commuter Committee you can go to cupe4070.ca/contact or email us at: commuting@cupe4070.ca 

  In Solidarity, 

Your CUPE 4070 Commuter Committee 

Frustration with the Seniority Preferential Bidding System

Dear WestJet Members,

The Union shares your continued frustration with the current seniority preferential bidding system. Despite what you may hear from the Employer, the Union’s position is that this system does not reflect the intent of what was presented and agreed to in bargaining.

Seniority preferential bidding systems are about seniority - not points, not a limit of sixteen bid lines and not a global solver.

With each passing month, the number of individual scheduling grievances is growing. The Union will maintain pressure on the Employer. The three policy grievances filed by the Union in May 2022 remain active – Failure to Implement (-002), Failure to Train SRC (-003) and Failure to Resolve Monthly Awards (-004) - our asks remain firm:

• Implement a seniority bidding system that respects seniority, as was the bargained intent, to be jointly evaluated and selected by the representatives from the Union and Employer.

• The system must allow the Scheduling Review Committee and our Members to clearly understand why they received the schedule they did, and why a day off violation was deemed valid.

• Identification and implementation of improvements to the current system in the interim

What can you do? Dispute! Dispute! Dispute! 

What can be disputed? Unawarded requested day off (RDO) and/or pairing. 

How? Using the form found at this link; please ensure you use separate forms for RDOs vs pairings. You don’t need to create separate disputes within each category - list all your disputed RDOs in one form and all your disputed pairings in the other form.  

When? Before the form closes on 24th of each month or 72 hours after the release of the schedule as per the CA. 

Prerequisite: You had to have bid for that day off and/or pairing and not received it and your bid cannot conflict with preassigned activity such as vacation or training.  

We have hundreds of grievances in queue. We are urging the Employer to reach a settlement that respects seniority; we have yet to receive a reasonable or respectable offer.

All scheduling disputes from the last few months have been escalated to individual grievances. The Union is prepared to attend, present and pursue the full grievance process for every single scheduling grievance that has been filed.   

This issue is the most pressing concern for our members, and we are committed to dedicating all necessary resources to defend and uphold our Collective Agreement.  

Please continue to dispute your unawarded Requested Days Off and pairings using the form before the deadline.  

The Union has been reasonable, patient and willing to participate in discussions beyond what is called for.  For months, the Union’s outspoken desire to collaborate and share information in order to make the transition to seniority scheduling as successful as possible has been endless, yet here we are.  

The Employer had 14 months from ratification to get this right. We are now seeing the release of October 2022 schedules with no resolve.  We cannot get that time back. The Union’s tolerance for this system has expired. There seems to be a lack of concern from the Employer over how this system has and will continue to impact the membership. This is simply, another failed WestJet rollout. 

Only WestJet can fix it. 

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team
CUPE 4070 President, Crystal Hill
CUPE 4070 Vice-President, Alia Hussain
CUPE 4070 Secretary-Treasurer, Alex Grigoriev
CUPE 4070 Recording Secretary, Marco Di Virgilio
WestJet YVR Base VP, Chris Brewer
WestJet YYC Base VP, Brigitte Benoit
WestJet YYZ Base VP, Bryan Hansraj
WestJet Encore YYC Base VP, Colleen Tracey
WestJet Encore YYZ Base VP, Mauricio Mejia
Swoop Base VP, Allan Ramsarran

Grooming!

Dear WestJet Members, 

Your Union is receiving a number of reports of Cabin Personnel grooming aircrafts, where grooming is provided, but groomers are late to arrive to the aircraft or short staffed. 

We would like to remind all Cabin Personnel that Article 6-2.03 in your Collective Agreement outlines the Company’s responsibility to provide grooming on all flights over 1:45, or when arriving into a Base (YYZ/YYC/YVR), regardless of flight time; 

6-2.03 Cabin Personnel are required to maintain aircraft appearance while guests are onboard the aircraft. For flights with a scheduled Block Time of one hour and forty-five (1:45) minutes or less, and not arriving in a Base (YVR/YYC/YYZ), Cabin Personnel shall be required to complete post-flight aircraft tidying duties. Cabin Personnel shall not be required to perform post-flight aircraft tidying duties on wide-body aircraft. 

6-2.04 Post-flight aircraft tidying duties shall be limited to:  

• Placing armrests in the down position 

• Crossing of seatbelts 

• Removal of items for disposal not including clearing waste bins in the lavatories or galleys 

• Maintaining general aircraft appearance 

6-2.05 As an exception to 6-2.03 above, in the event of an exceptional circumstance where either no grooming is available or when a groom would result in a significant flight delay or cancellation, Cabin Personnel may be required to complete post-flight aircraft tidying duties on flights with a duration greater than one hour and forty-five (1:45) minutes for both narrow-body and wide-body aircraft. 

If you are asked to groom by the Company, it is important as a Member that you ask what the exceptional circumstances are and to AQD/IHR the situation. When reporting these situations please include as much information as possible: Were no groomers available? What length of delay was anticipated? What aircraft tidying duties were performed? How was your OTP affected? Please copy your AQD and report it to your Base VP to allow for the appropriate follow-up.    

We would like our Members to understand that electing to violate the Collective Agreement sets precedent that the Employer can use at the bargaining table. Grooming was a significant win for WS Members, one that our WR and WO Members did not achieve for their Collective Agreements. By voluntarily violating the CA for expedience or convenience without an “exceptional circumstance,” we are essentially telling our Employer that we no longer value this as a part of our CA. 

As a reminder, Members are required to complete aircraft tidying duties on ALL WestJet Encore or Swoop flights including when deadheading and/or flying leisure. Additionally, any violation of the Collective Agreement should be reported to your Union. 

In Solidarity,

Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team
CUPE 4070 President, Crystal Hill
CUPE 4070 Vice-President, Alia Hussain
CUPE 4070 Secretary-Treasurer, Alex Grigoriev
CUPE 4070 Recording Secretary, Marco Di Virgilio
WestJet YVR Base VP, Chris Brewer
Interim WestJet YYC Base VP, Tyson Conrod
WestJet YYZ Base VP, Bryan Hansraj
WestJet Encore YYC Base VP, Colleen Tracey
WestJet Encore YYZ Base VP, Mauricio Mejia
Swoop Base VP, Allan Ramsarran

WR Seniority Bidding - Dispute Process

Dear WestJet Encore Members,

Today is the first day we will be receiving a seniority based schedule.  Prior to schedule release, we would like to add more clarity to the preferential seniority bidding system dispute process.      

Scheduling Disputes vs Grievances   

We would like to clarify scheduling disputes as per the Collective Agreement:  

34-2.03  In the event that a Cabin Crew Member wants to address concerns with their issued monthly schedule, they will notify a Union representative on the WR Scheduling Review Committee within seventy-two (72) hours of schedule release to review and respond.   

34-2.04  If a dispute is regarding a specific Day Off and deemed valid by the Scheduling Review Committee prior to the commencement of the disputed pairing, the Company will resolve the issue. Such resolution, which will be determined by the Company, may include:   

• A modification or removal of the pairing to restore the Day(s) Off with pay protection for the original pairing Credit; or

• The Cabin Crew Member will receive premium pay of one and one half (1.5) times the rate of pay for the Credit Hours worked on the Day(s) Off should the Company determine that the pairing will continue.

Note that CCMs have 72 hours following the Company’s publication of schedules to file a dispute. Each dispute will be carefully reviewed and answered by Members of the WR SRC. In the event that a violation has been found to have occurred, every effort will be made by the WR SRC and the Company to resolve the violation. Should a resolution that is not mutually agreed upon be found, it is then up to the CCM to reach out to your Base VP to begin the grievance process as outlined in Article 30 of your Collective Agreement.

Filing a Dispute

Please send all disputes or concerns to the SRC using the Schedule Dispute Form issued by the Company, also available on Sharepoint (Westnet). To clarify: the only disputes that have a bargained resolution are day(s) off. All other concerns will be reviewed by the WR SRC, and each instance will be handled individually based on circumstance.

Note that prior to sending in a dispute, it is the responsibility of the CCM to ensure that their concern is in fact valid and does not violate any of our work rules regarding for example, monthly scheduling window, maximum consecutive days on duty, and /or minimum rest at base.

As always, if you have any scheduling inquiries outside of the outlined process above, please reach out to your WR SCR:wr.src@cupe4070.ca

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 WR Scheduling Review Committee
WR YYC, Adrian Dayrit
WR YYZ, Stephanie Savoie

Newsletter September 2022

WestJet Encore - Implementation of RIGs

Dear WestJet Encore Members,

As implementation of our Collective Agreement continues, we want to make sure that you are set up for success. As of September, Duty RIGs and Trip RIGs will be implemented. Below you will find some guidance on how to calculate your Duty RIGs, Trip RIGs, and an explanation of how this will affect your overall Credit.   

The Basics  

Article 41-5 of your Collective Agreement details pairing reconciliation.  

With the implementation of RIGs, the Credit Hours of the pairing will now be calculated as the combined total Credit Hours of all the scheduled or operated duty periods in the pairing OR by Trip RIG (calculated as ¼ of TAFB), whichever is greater.  

In short, you will either be credited by Duty RIG or Trip RIG, whichever is greater. It is important that all CCMs understand the difference between the two and how each are calculated.  

Before we begin, we want to review several terms and acronyms that we use to explain our pay structure;  

a. Duty RIG – calculated as 50% of the actual duty time completed in the duty period. This is typically per day. For example, a 4-day pairing in which you operate each day will have four duty periods.  

b. Trip RIG –calculated from original check in time of your pairing to check out time on the final day of your pairing. Trip RIG= 1 credit hour for each 4 hours of scheduled TAFB (time away from base)  

c. MDPC – Monthly Minimum Pairing Credit (4 Credit Hours per day)  

d. MMG – Monthly Minimum Guarantee (75 Credit Hours per month)  

e. TAFB – Time away from base  

f. Actual Credit – total block hours, plus any deadhead credit, completed in the duty period  

We will begin by walking through how to calculate your credit hours using Duty RIGs. The table below offers an example of a 5-day pairing.  

Calculating Credit Hours using Duty RIGs 

When calculating what you will be paid for with the implementation of Duty RIGs, there are three different numbers that must be considered: Actual Credit, MDPC, and Duty RIG. The language from Article 41-5.03 in the CA states,  

The actual operated Credit Hours of the pairing is calculated as the combined total Credit Hours of all the operated duty periods in the pairing or one (1) Credit Hour for each four (4) hours of scheduled time away from base (TAFB) in the pairing (“Trip RIG”), whichever is greater. The actual operated Credit Hours of each individual duty period will be the greater of:  

a. The actual Block Hours, plus any Deadhead Credit, completed in the duty period,  

b. The MDPC of four (4) Credit Hours, or;  

c. Fifty percent (50%) of the actual duty time completed in the duty period (“Duty RIG”)  

Example:

Step one: Determine the Credit hours for each day by determining which of the three values, Actual Block Hours, MDPC, or Duty RIG, is higher;  

a. Calculate Actual Credit for each day by noting the block hours for that duty day plus any DH credit (calculated at 50% of the flight time).   

b. Note the MDPC. This will always be 4 hours, except in cases where there was no duty period within the day. In that case, credit for the day would be 0. (An example of having 0 credit for the day would be a day in which you laid over in a city and did not actually work that day.)   

c. Calculate the Duty RIG (½ of the Duty period which is check in to check out).   

Step two: Determine which value, Actual Credit, MDPC or Duty RIG, is the greatest. The example in the table has the greatest values highlighted in green. These will be your credit for the day.  

Step three: Calculate the Pairing Credit by adding each days’ credit hours together;  4 (day 1) + 4.35 (day 2) + 4.24 (day 3) + 5.46 (day 4) + 4 (day 5) = 22:45 credit hours 

Calculating Credit Hours using Trip RIGs 

Calculating Trip RIGs is much less complicated.  Trip RIG = TAFB divided by 4. If we were using the 5-day pairing provided in the table, the TAFB is 96:30. Trip RIG (TAFB/4) =  96:30 / 4 = 24:08 

How to determine the Pairing Credit  

The pairing credit is either the sum of all daily credit (calculated by comparing Duty RIGs, Actual Credit, and MDCP), OR ¼ of TAFB, whichever is greater.  

Daily Credit Total = 22:45 
Trip Rig (TAFB / 4) = 24:08 
The pairing credit is thus 24:08.

How does the implementation of RIGs change your Credit Hours? 

The implementation of RIGs is the final layer of pay to be added with the current CA. The combination of DH pay, MDCP and now RIGs has added significant credit to pairings all of which are included within the Monthly Minimum Guarantee (MMG) of 75 hours.

The 5-day pairing that was used as our example would previously have been credited 14:17 towards your MMG.  In September, this same pairing will be credited 24:08 towards your MMG.  This is almost 10 hours added to your MMG of 75 hours! 

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

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team
WestJet Encore YYC Base VP, Colleen Tracey
WestJet Encore YYZ Base VP, Mauricio Mejia
CUPE 4070 President, Crystal Hill
CUPE 4070 Vice-President, Alia Hussain
CUPE 4070 Secretary-Treasurer, Alex Grigoriev
CUPE 4070 Recording Secretary, Marco Di Virgilio
WestJet YVR Base VP, Chris Brewer
Interim WestJet YYC Base VP, Tyson Conrod
WestJet YYZ Base VP, Bryan Hansraj
Swoop Base VP, Allan Ramsarran

WR YYZ Base Update

Dear WestJet Encore Members, 

Thursday, August 18, 2022, the Employer informed your Union of the communication titled “Continuing Encore base operation at YYZ” sent to all WestJet Encore Members WestJet email. Your CUPE 4070 Executive has met to discuss the possible impacts of this announcement on our WestJet Encore Membership.  

We know that for many of our WR YYZ Members, this news comes with a lot of uncertainty: and we want to make it very clear, we are here to represent you.   

We are aware of concerns many of you have. At this time, there is no more information regarding implementation of this plan other than what was communicated in the email you received from the Employer last week. We will provide you with more information once it is available.  

 The Union is disappointed at the lack of notice regarding this announcement and have made it clear that further information be provided in advance to give us an opportunity to address Member concerns. 

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, or require Union representation, please contact us: cupe4070.ca/contact 

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team
CUPE 4070 President, Crystal Hill
CUPE 4070 Vice-President, Alia Hussain
CUPE 4070 Secretary-Treasurer, Alex Grigoriev
CUPE 4070 Recording Secretary, Marco Di Virgilio
WestJet YVR Base VP, Chris Brewer
Interim WestJet YYC Base VP, Tyson Conrod
WestJet YYZ Base VP, Bryan Hansraj
WestJet Encore YYC Base VP, Colleen Tracey
WestJet Encore YYZ Base VP, Mauricio Mejia
Swoop Base VP, Allan Ramsarran

July Sched Delay - SRC Update

Dear Members,  

On August 5, 2022, Alia Hussain, CUPE 4070 Vice-President, and Sarah Ferraro, CUPE 4070 WS Scheduling Review Committee Chair, met with the Employer to hear the policy grievance for late release of July schedules (WS-POL-2022-005).  
 

It was evident in the grievance hearing that the Employer is not fully aware of how late schedule release impacts Cabin Personnel. Some examples were provided, but the Union would like to provide more examples to the Employer to aid in seeking a mutually agreed upon resolution to the grievance.  
 

You can help us by filling out this form.

Please elaborate on any personal stress, impacts on managing personal responsibilities such as family and childcare, missed events, loss of hours due to needing to self-manage, if you required use a personal day, or any other effects delayed schedule release may have had.  

Please be assured that while the form asks for personal details, you will not be identified should you wish to remain anonymous. We intend to bring forward the specifics of these impacts.  
 

The form will be open until 23:59MT on Thursday, August 25, 2022.  

 In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Scheduling Review Committee

WestJet YYC Base Vice-President Interim Appointment

Dear WestJet Members,

WestJet YYC Base Vice-President Brigitte Benoit has taken a 1-month LOA from her role which leaves a vacancy on the Executive.

Tyson Conrod, WS YYC Union Steward, has been appointed to fill this vacancy. The CUPE 4070 website contact form has also been changed to reflect this appointment. Tyson’s email is: tyson.conrod@cupe4070.ca

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team
CUPE 4070 President, Crystal Hill
CUPE 4070 Vice-President, Alia Hussain
CUPE 4070 Secretary-Treasurer, Alex Grigoriev
CUPE 4070 Recording Secretary, Marco Di Virgilio
WestJet YVR Base VP, Chris Brewer
Interim WestJet YYC Base VP, Tyson Conrod
WestJet YYZ Base VP, Bryan Hansraj
WestJet Encore YYC Base VP, Colleen Tracey
WestJet Encore YYZ Base VP, Mauricio Mejia
Swoop Base VP, Allan Ramsarran

August 2022 Newsletter

YYG Hotel Update

Dear WestJet Members,

Your CUPE 4070 Hotel & Transportation Committee has been working diligently on the shortage of rooms in the YYG market. This communication is an update on those efforts.  

The current situation is that Cabin Personnel with YYG layovers are being transported and overnighted in the YQM market. This has happened because decisions by the Employer have led to them being over their contracted room allotment. Your Hotel & Transportation Committee and CUPE 4070  Executive are not supportive of the current situation. To be clear: this is an egregious violation of our Collective Agreement, and we did not consent to this.  

The main decision made by the Employer that led to our current situation, as we understand it, relates to a Network Scheduling change. With a very busy summer travel season in the Eastern markets this year, YYG is and has been sold out of rooms.  

We are advised that Travelliance Connections is doing multiple daily follow-ups on behalf of the Company to secure as many rooms as possible as soon as they become available. This has not, unfortunately, resolved the current situation because the Company is simply unable to rent rooms that do not exist. This means that some crews will still be required to overnight in the YQM market. Affected crews requiring ground transport to YQM will receive notice from the Company. 

We continue to work aggressively with the Employer on this situation and seek an appropriate resolution for our Cabin Personnel. We will keep you updated with information as it becomes available. 

As Cabin Personnel ourselves, your Hotel & Transportation Committee is as upset by these circumstances as you are. We truly appreciate your patience as we continue to work to a permanent and acceptable resolution. You deserve reliable accommodations and transportation, provided as outlined in our Collective Agreement, while we are on the road, and we will continue to hold our Employer accountable for meeting these most basic expectations. 

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Hotel and Transportation Committee

CUPE 4070 Special Membership Meeting (SMM) - Wednesday October 5, 2022

Dear Members,

We would like to notify you of an upcoming Special Membership Meeting (SMM) via Teams Meeting on Wednesday October 5, 2022. The purpose of this meeting is to present and vote on a bylaw amendment.  

Special Membership Meetings differ from General Membership Meetings in that “no business shall be transacted at the Special Membership Meeting other than that for which the meeting is called, and notice is given.” More information on Special Membership Meetings can be found in Section 5b of the CUPE 4070 Bylaws. 

When: Wednesday October 5, 2022 
Time: 11:00 PT / 12:00 MT / 14:00 ET 
Subject: CUPE 4070 Bylaw Amendment and Vote

 We will follow-up with more information regarding registration to the meeting and the preview of the bylaw amendments closer to the date. 

This SMM is open to all Members in Good Standing. Your engagement and participation is so important. We look forward to seeing you there!  

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

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE 4070 Executive Team
CUPE 4070 President, Crystal Hill
CUPE 4070 Vice-President, Alia Hussain
CUPE 4070 Secretary-Treasurer, Alex Grigoriev
CUPE 4070 Recording Secretary, Marco Di Virgilio
WestJet YVR Base VP, Chris Brewer
WestJet YYC Base VP, Brigitte Benoit
WestJet YYZ Base VP, Bryan Hansraj
WestJet Encore YYC Base VP, Colleen Tracey
WestJet Encore YYZ Base VP, Mauricio Mejia
Swoop Base VP, Allan Ramsarran