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This week, your component is celebrating 30 years of history!

30 years of unity, solidarity and common struggle! The goal has always been to improve our working conditions and protect our rights!

Here are some concrete examples of the collective  power of the group and of your union over the past 30 years

Before unionization, there were no rules on issues such as how many hours we could fly in a given month or even a limit of our day on duty!

Since November 1992, your various union executives have negotiated six collective agreements. In each agreement we have made significant gains such as

 

– Blocks of flying hours between 65h and 85h per month, with a maximum of 95 hours/month.

– Our monthly hours are guaranteed!

– The duty day limit has been reduced… Yes! Reduced to 14 scheduled hours, with an absolute maximum of 16h. Some will remember the 18h absolute maximum in the 1990’s!

– Significant wage gains over the years. We started at about $17.00 per flight hour, and now the starting salary is $29.53, up to a maximum of $57.43 after 12 years of service.

 

– Premiums for overtime on duty (did not exist before).

– Creation of 16 weeks of preventive leave to support our pregnant flight attendants.

 

– Implementation of the MSPP (pension fund created by CUPE)

– Reduction of the RSV period from 24 hours to AM or PM

– Improved protection for hotel zones +20h

 

More recently, your union, with your support, flatly refused the major cuts to our working conditions that the employer wanted to impose on us just a year ago. Remember that the employer’s plan was to cut our wages by 10%, reduce our crew complement, every clause that had monetary value was targeted!

We were able to fight off these demands because of the strength of your union.

We can’t say it enough, more than ever we must stay united and continue our quest for better working conditions. Reduce fatigue rotations, improve our rest areas and without further delay have a strong job protection clause.

 

The round of bargaining that we are about to begin will not be easy! The financial health of the company has certainly been affected over the past two years. However, let’s not be distracted by the past and look at the efficiency improvements the company is planning!

Let’s keep in mind that we have weathered this storm and that the new Transat will be more profitable. It is therefore normal that the cabin crew be respected and that our salaries be reviewed in this period of unprecedented inflation. The deferral of our collective agreement by one year, negotiated last year, has helped the company and guaranteed us protection from our current collective agreement. Our Management should always be aware of this. Transat has received assistance in the form of loans from the federal government and this assistance must not be used to the detriment of the company’s employees.

 

Our sector’s fight in 2023?

The fight of the airline sector is, without a doubt, to be paid for every hour spent at work!

How do we do this?

By uniting with all airline unions affiliated with CUPE in Canada.

On November 30th, will take place a two day summit held by CUPE’s airline division in Vancouver.

At this meeting I will have the privilege of representing you and working in collaboration with the Presidents of the AC/Rouge, WS/Swoop/Encore, Flair, PAL, Pascan, Sunwing, Calm Air and Canadian North cabin crew unions.

The goal of this summit is to stand together in our fight for ground pay! It is about time that our pay is based on our duty time, not just on flight time.

Utopic? Not at all!

More than ever your union is pertinent!

 

Thank you for supporting us and taking your place by getting involved in our various mobilization actions to come.

In conclusion, let’s be united!

 

Whether we are based in YUL, YVR or YYZ, our fight is common! Let’s stand together. Each base has its own issues. Your union fights daily for a fair distribution of wealth. Division is our worst enemy. We cannot be distracted by the economic decisions of our employer. All members are at work and we must stand together in the coming months and support each other.

 

None of these gains would have been possible without our union and the strength of its members.

Let’s be proud of our accomplishments!

Let’s wish each other a happy 30th anniversary!

 

Dominic Levasseur for your Component Executive, Lisa, Martin, Marie-Hélène, Jill and Sheena

New team… same mission!

 

Here are the newly appointed members to the committee:

 

Charles-Éric Latour, Committee Chair

 

Marie-Claude Bourdages, YUL

David Ogilvie, YYZ

Julie Roberts, YVR

 

Sheena Sumra, YVR, Component link

 

 

As new representatives, our first meeting was held on October 20.

 

Our mission will always be to inform you about pension/retirement plans: RRMS and RRSP/DPSP.

 

Here is the email address to reach us:

pension@atcomponent.com

 

Also, we strongly encourage you to consult the websites of the two plans to have access to all information, general and personal, about your contributions, investments and returns.

 

For the MSPP (Multi-Sector Pension Plan): www.mspp.ca

 

And for the Manulife RRSP/DPSP pension plan: manulife.ca/pro

 

As the retirement project is very personal and different for each and every one of us, it is important to take charge of your own goals, your own decisions. That is why it is also important to obtain the information that will allow you to fully realise YOUR retirement project.

Knowing how to plan… is being able to enjoy!

 

This is why we also encourage you to use the services of a financial advisor in your decision-making, as your committee members are not qualified to fulfil this role.

 

Breaking News:

 

RRSP/DPSP collective: Transfer from Manulife to Desjardins

 

At the last meeting of the governance/surveillance committee of the RRSP/DPSP collective on October 3 and at which Charles-Éric was present as a representative of the CC, the company informed us that our Manulife supplier would be replaced by Desjardins.

This announcement was confirmed by Christophe Hennebelle of HR during the last webcast on October 27.

As you suspected, this is an important change. That is why we are notifying you now and it will be the only subject developed in this Newsletter.

 

According to the information provided by the company, this transfer will take place over a period of one year and in two phases:

1. communication and publication of information by Desjardins,

2. technology for the implementation of the platform.

Of course, your committee will carefully follow each step of this process and inform you.

 

The process and the reasons:

 

As early as 2020, the governance committee complained that Manulife did not offer all the investment options available on the market. A request had been made to them to remedy this and modernise the options.

 

Indeed, given the entire current economic context: volatility, inflation, potential recession, etc., investment options aimed at stabilising portfolios had to be added to the program. Without going into details, these options concern tangible assets, which are found in private markets. These are mainly investments in infrastructure and real estate.

 

The other objective that the company wishes to achieve in modernising investment options for the RRSP/DPSP concerning ESG (Environment, Society, Governance) and the related ethical values. In other words, it is to have a financial supplier that offers options that align with the values that Transat already defends as a company.

 

However, as since the beginning of 2020 Manulife had not delivered new options and given the delays caused by the pandemic, Transat conducted a request for tenders under the supervision of Normandin/Beaudry (actuary consultant for the company), this procedure having received the approval of the company’s direction.

 

Three financial institutions were selected for submission: Sunlife, Industrial Alliance and Desjardins. According to the members of the selection committee, Desjardins emerged, without a doubt, the great winner of this presentation, among other things, because of their philosophy and approach, as well as the services they offer. This selection was submitted to the company’s Human Resources and Remuneration Committee (HRRC), which endorsed it. (The members of this committee are members of the board of directors of Transat A.T. Inc.)

 

Faced with this statement and at this same meeting, representatives of the different groups of employees of the surveillance committee expressed their disappointment at not having been consulted, or even informed of this transfer.

 

The company has heard this disappointment and is now offering us to attend a presentation by Desjardins, which will take place in December.

 

Indeed, one of the next crucial steps is the selection of investment funds that will be offered to employees by Desjardins. Normandin Beaudry will make a presentation of the results of their analysis of the funds as well as recommendations in the selection of the selected funds.

 

The company has also informed us that the final selection will have to be endorsed at the beginning of 2023 by the members of the HRRC.

In other words, we are invited to attend the process, but the decisions will be made by the company. At least at this stage, we will be able to exercise our monitoring mandate and thus keep you informed of the results for the next steps.

 

Monitoring this important change will therefore be the priority of committee members in the coming months.

 

However, we also have the project, in collaboration with the company, to produce an information kit for future retirees and that will cover the steps to follow.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read us and see you soon.

 

In solidarity,

 

Charles-Éric,

Julie, Marie-Claude and David

Sheena

It is with pride that I have accepted the challenge of taking on the responsibility of the new Mobilization and Communications Committee. Please join the team and take your place!

 

The primary task of the committee is to ensure communication between the Bargaining Committee and the membership. We will provide you with information on the status of the negotiations but also on the pressure tactics being considered, the events being organized, etc.

 

I will be leading a team that will be there to mobilize you when the time comes to take action and show our solidarity. It is essential to remember that a large part of the success of negotiations is the mobilization of the membership. To make our battles known to the company and the public, the commitment of all members is essential.

 

 

To put this committee together I need your help. We need to build a strong team with people who have a desire to help the membership, who are activists, who have ideas for pressure tactics, who want to be part of the solution.

 

 

So here is the structure and responsibilities.

 

The committee leader oversees communication between the negotiating committee and the members. In the case of specific information to be disseminated, the leads will then be solicited.

 

Leads take on a more participatory role. They are responsible for contacting the mobilization delegates in their charge to notify them of the activation of the communication chain, the mobilization initiative underway, etc. They are the cornerstone of this committee. In close collaboration with the Head of mobilization, they will participate in the development and execution of the mobilization plan.

 

The mobilization delegates, in turn, must communicate with the members, on the list that will be given to them, the information that has been transmitted to them.

 

Here is an example of the structure:

 

 

For each base, we need several leads and mobilization delegates.

 

The more of you that get involved, the more the tasks will be shared and easier to manage.

 

Here is a fictitious example of how a communication chain works.

The Negotiating Committee notifies the leader that an event is coming up. The leader notifies her 10 leads, who will contact all 30 mobilization delegates on their list, who will contact the 25 members on their list!

 

Now is the time to get involved.

 

Write to us to get involved and be part of the Mobilization and Communications Committee or simply share your ideas for mobilization actions.

 

 

Please indicate which position you are interested in and for which base.

mobilisationTS2022@gmail.com

 

Let us be united, let us be present, let us be creative.

 

 

In solidarity,

Andréanne Charlebois

Head of the Mobilization and Communications Committee

It has been some time since you have had any news from your Component Executive. As you can imagine, the last few weeks have been very busy. With the summer season coming to an end, we, like you, are finally starting to catch our breath.

 

This week, the Component team was in Montréal for CPS (union/ management meeting) that took place last Monday. Among the hot topics on the agenda:

VNR and VAC for 2023, our requests for improved rest areas in A321neoLR flights, our questions about manpower for the coming months, fatigue rotations, denunciation of out of base “drafts” and much more.

 

We would like to remind you that when you experience a situation that does not respect your collective agreement, it is essential to notify your local without delay. Your local teams are there to assist you and answer your questions.

 

 

In addition to CPS meeting, we held 3 intensive days of work to prepare for the imminent collective bargaining. Your bargaining committee has an important role to play, but not all can rest on the 6 of us. Collective bargaining = collective mobilization.

 

Why mobilize?

To demonstrate our strength and defend:

 

-Our working conditions,

-Wages,

-Manpower

-Job security

-Quality of life

In the next few days, you will receive an email from the Communication and Mobilization Committee.

Please take the time to read it and do not hesitate to express your interest.

Dominic, Lisa, Martin, Jill, Marie-Hélène er Sheena