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Call for Nominations – Vacancy – 1 Component Trustee Position (1 year mandate)

There remains one (1) vacant Component Trustee position (1-year mandate) to fill the remainder of the term ending on January 31, 2024. In accordance with the Air Transat Component Bylaws, the call for nominations for this position is being issued.

 

Congratulations to Patricia Kelly (YVR) who was acclaimed as Component Trustee (2-year mandate) on December 15th 2022.

 

This is a great opportunity if you have been thinking about getting involved in the Union but are unsure as to how much time you can commit. Trustees play an important role, ensuring accountability for the financial affairs of the membership.

 

 

Members who desire to be nominated for the position of Component Trustee (1-year mandate), shall file nomination papers and must have at least 50 signatures from eligible voters on the “Membership List”.

 

 

NOTE: Nomination forms and instructions will be available from the Component Tabulating Committee at attabulating@gmail.com

Candidates shall disclose their full name and intended position (Component Trustee, 1-year mandate) clearly on the nomination papers prior to soliciting signatures.

 

 

* IMPORTANT: Due to the current COVID-19 Pandemic, and on an exceptional basis, the Component Tabulating Committee will accept electronic signatures on nomination forms for the vacant Component Trustee position. An electronic signature must be the member’s actual signature and not simply the member’s name typed onto the nomination form. This will allow for members not actively in the workplace to nominate a candidate for a delegate position.

The nomination form must be filled out in its entirety by the candidate, signed off and dated prior to scanning for electronically received signatures. We are doing this to ensure all members have an opportunity to run, as well as ensure all members have an opportunity to collect signatures.

 

 

DEADLINE: Completed, original nomination sheets, along with a short (one paragraph) cover letter from the candidate accepting his/her nomination, must be received by the Tabulating chair no later than 4:00PM (EST) March 11, 2023 at the following address:

 

AIR TRANSAT COMPONENT TABULATING COMMITTEE

34015 – 604 MT.PLEASANT.RD. TORONTO, ON

M4S 2M8

 

Nomination sheets received after 4:00PM (EST) March 11, 2023 will NOT be accepted.

The Tabulating Committee recommends sending your documentation by registered mail or courier to ensure timely delivery and receipt.

 

In Solidarity,

Maria Zongos, for your component Tabulating Committee

After a difficult year in 2022 for everyone with inflation and work overload. This morning we learned that Transat’s senior executives have set aside nearly 2.5$ million in cash bonuses payable in three years!

This news is outrageous!

 

The salary gap between employees and senior executives continues to grow, what a disgrace! Many of you shared your frustration with us as soon as the news broke this morning.

 

On the same day, the Airline Division released the results of the survey on unpaid work in our industry. On average, almost one week of work per month is performed by our members  without pay! 

 

This must stop!

The following is the press release issued by the Airline Division Presidents’ Council.

At the bottom of this email you will find the Press article on deferred cash bonuses. It is in French, we could not find similar articles in the news in English.

 

Press Release

February 8th, 2023

A new survey of Canadian flight attendants from CUPE’s Airline Division shows that flight attendants in Canada are performing unpaid work for 34.86 hours per month, on average.

The survey, which ran between December 10, 2022 and January 11, 2023, and received 9,807 responses, shows in detail just how rampant the issue of unpaid work has become in the airline sector, and the profound impact it is having on airline workers.

 

“Unpaid work is a dirty secret in this industry, and one we are determined to stamp out,” said Wesley Lesosky, President of CUPE’s Airline Division. “The bottom line is, if we’re on the jobsite, in our uniforms, performing work duties then we should be getting paid – full stop.”

Examples of work that largely goes unpaid, according to the survey, include boarding, ground preparation, pre-boarding preparation, galley preparation, and other pre-flight duties. Put together, a flight attendant in Canada puts in nearly a full week of full-time work that goes unpaid over the course of a typical block, which is usually one month.

 

Over half of the nearly 10,000 respondents also indicated that they are compensated below their full hourly rate of pay for mandatory training.

 

“As it stands, when a flight attendant gets trained on how to manage a safety issue or a mid-air medical issue, or when they assist a passenger in a wheelchair to their seat, they aren’t getting paid what they should be,” Lesosky continued. “I’m not sure how anyone justifies that.” CUPE’s Airline Division represents approximately 18,500 flight attendants working at ten airlines across Canada. 

 

https://www.lapresse.ca/affaires/entreprises/2023-02-08/aide-federale-a-transat-a-t/des-primes-differees-en-attendant-la-fin-des-restrictions.php

 

 

Dominic Levasseur, President of your component

New website

We’ve been working on a new website for a while now, and here it is finally! www.atcomponent.com has a new look! We have improved the image and content of the website, not to mention that it is free and hosted by CUPE. This allows us to save a lot of money on union dues!

 

On the website, under contact us, you will find several forms to report busting flights, missing  DH and more.

 

Do not hesitate to send us your comments and suggestions. We are always looking for crew photos. We would like this site to be representative of you!

 

Collective Bargaining Update!

Your union is at work!

We are in the final process before filing our demands. We have held over 15 bargaining committee meetings reviewing the collective agreement from start to finish and ensuring that your priorities are well outlined. We are following the established plan. Remember that our strength is only matched by your engagement! Several members of the mobilization committee are distributing the new component pins at all 3 bases. Contact your local teams, who are present at the airport, if you haven’t received one yet! This is only the first step in making our members’ mobilization visible. More visibility actions to come!

 

 

Survey on unpaid work.

 

Many of you completed the survey on unpaid ground work. To be more precise, 1000 TS cabin crew completed the survey out of approximately 1350 active cabin crew. This makes our group, proportionally, the most invested in this survey, and this across all companies unionized with CUPE in Canada. So this is definitively one of your priorities! Days of protest are planned in the coming months. We will keep you informed. If you want to get involved in the mobilization committee, please contact us at mobilisationTS2022@gmail.com

 

 

Stop thinking about it, Get involved! 😁

Black history month

Every February, people across Canada participate in Black History month.

 

This is a time for celebration and a clear recognition of the legacy of black people in Canada. This month and each month throughout the year, we can all reflect on this history and commit to maintaining an awareness and to foster meaningful change.

It is also a time in which we must reflect on the fact that discrimination still exists. We must all do our part to stand up against racism and hatred in its overt and subtle forms.

 

Now is the time to shine a light and educate ourselves, our friends and family and move towards an enlightened future. The following links we hope, will highlight the many accomplishments of black Canadians and celebrate their contributions. Together we can create a world of inclusion and diversity and respect for all peoples.

https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/black-history-month.html

https://cupe.ca/event/black-history-month

 

Dominic Levasseur 

president of your component

On January 31st, CUPE is organizing a protest in front of the Parliament hill in Ottawa in support of a bill to limit the use of scabs.

A law banning the use of temporary replacement workers has existed in Quebec since 1978 and in British Columbia since 1993.

Unlike the laws of Quebec and British Columbia, companies under federal jurisdiction (e.g. airlines, communications, etc.) can use scabs! The same applies to our brothers and sisters in Ontario: the province gained anti-scab legislation in 1993, when the NDP was in government, but it was clawed back in 1996 when the Mike Harris Conservatives gutted the province’s Labour Relations Act.

 

Thanks to the support of our colleagues at Vidéotron, free transportation is being offered between Montreal and Ottawa on the day of this protest.

 

If you are interested in participating and supporting this important cause to protect our right to strike. Please subscribe.

**Limited places**

Facebook link of the event

 

In Solidarity,

Dominic Levasseur, for your component executive

It has been several months now since the new crew meal menu has been phased in. We have received a lot of positive comments and realize as well that there is room for improvement.

 

We will be meeting next month with the company to select new items and review the latest. We would appreciate your feedback as they are opening to making changes to accommodate our needs and tastes.

Please complete this questionnaire before January 31, 2023.

 

Thank you,

Stephanie

 

Don’t hesitate to contact us : crewmeal@atcomponent.com

 

In Solidarity,

 

 

Chair : Stephanie Davy-Griffith

Component link : Jill Patterson

Air Transat : Fernando Moreira

YUL : Sandra Remelgado

YYZ : Stephanie Davy-Griffith, Amanda Michalopoulos

YVR: Chantal Arsenault & Kait Glasser

 

It is with a broken heart that we are writing to you today.

January 18th will forever be remembered as one of the saddest days in Transat’s history.

 

Our Vancouver-based colleagues were informed this morning of the permanent closure of the YVR base as of June 30, 2023. 192 flight attendants are affected by this devastating announcement.

Your Component Officers, Lisa, Martin and I were present to support the members of 4078 during this announcement.

 

This news will have an unprecedented impact on the lives of many of our friends and colleagues and their families. Your component is standing in solidarity with the executive of Local 4078; Sheena, Linnea and Julie. All remain available to answer your questions.

 

Your union will be having important discussions with the company in the next few days on the support measures that will be offered to our YVR members. Transat must be accountable and support YVR members in this difficult transition period. The YVR base has been in operation for over 28 years and our Vancouver members have given their hearts and souls to this organization for decades. They have worked tirelessly to make TS shine in Western Canada all these years.

 

Please know that our hearts and thougts are with you.

 

In solidarity,

Your union executive team;

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

First of all, from the representatives of your pension/retirement committee, Happy New Year 2023!

 

Following the newsletter published in November and announcing to you the decision taken by the company to transfer RRSP/RPDB funds from Manuvi to Desjardins (this does not concern the MSPP), here is an account of the last meeting on December 14, 2022 and in which two officials of your pension/retirement committee participated as representatives of the PNC of the supervisory committee.

 

This three-hour meeting, programmed by the employer and proved to be very constructive, had three important components on the agenda:

– Presentation by Desjardins of its program, its platform and its transition team composed of 4 experts: co-or and development, customer relationship, implementation, education and transition, who will accompany PNC members at each stage of the transition process as well as for the future monitoring of their program and which is called “Financial Well-being”.

– Presentation by Chrystal Healy, VP Corporate Responsibility at Transat, of the reference framework favoured by the company regarding its corporate responsibility in the choice of its three objectives in sustainable development and in connection with ESG (Environment, Society, Governance, which were explained to you in the previous newsletter).

– Presentation by Normandin Beaudry’s team of experts of their analysis and recommendations on the choices of new managers for the construction of life cycle program (LCP) portfolios by asset category, as well as new à la carte options. These new managers are recommended because they align with Transat’s three ESG objectives. Recall here that the final choice of managers will be decided by the company.

 

 

Here are the important points to remember from this meeting:

 

Schedule proposed by Desjardins:

 

April 2023: Sending invitations to employees for information sessions to be held in May and June 2023. (Dates and formats to be confirmed.)

July 2023: Transfer of Manulife funds to Desjardins.

 

What changes:

 

Normandin Beaudry wants the trajectory of LCPs to move from the current plateau model to a continuous model in order to maximise investments and their returns as well as to reduce risk continuously.

Normandin Beaudry strongly suggests that investments in guaranteed investment certificates be replaced by investments in tangible shares (direct real estate and global infrastructure). This option is based on a better return on these assets, especially in times of recession in addition to offering greater flexibility during withdrawals.

Normandin Beaudry also recommends that when it comes to investments in the stock markets, American and international stocks be replaced by global stocks of 3 types: low volatility, growth, and small capitalisation.

According to Normandin Beaudry and given the evolution of the current economic context, all these changes are likely to generate an expected retirement balance about 20% higher compared to the current solution.

 

However, it should be noted that these changes concern LCPs and that some of the old options will still be available for the à la carte program. For those who make this choice, other suggestions for à la carte funds will be offered to you.

 

Also, regarding the Transat action funds, we have been informed that all amounts held will be transferred to Desjardins, whether the participant is in LCPs or à la carte.

 

Finally, regarding the re-accession window, a pre-transfer campaign encouraging participants to review their choice of investments will be put in place. By default, if the participant does not make any investment choices, the current investment option will be renewed.

The representatives of your pension/retirement committee therefore encourage you to take advantage of this transfer as an opportunity to reassess your financial strategy towards retirement, to make adjustments if necessary and to actively participate in the information sessions that will be offered to you in order to maximise your retirement objectives.

Also, we invite you to visit manuvie.ca/pro to review and understand what your current situation is, in order to make the right decisions for you when the time comes.

 

As always, you can contact us at pension@atcomponent.com for your questions, suggestions and comments. However, we also encourage you to use the services of a financial advisor in your decisionmaking.

 

“To know how to plan… is to be able to enjoy! “… in retirement.

 

In closing, we are still waiting for the company to put us in contact with the human resources person to undertake our project to write an information brochure for retirement.

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to read us and once again Best wishes to all for the new year from the representatives of your committee!

 

Charles-Éric Latour, Chairman of the Committee

Marie-Claude Bourdages, YUL

David Ogilvie, YYZ

Julie Roberts, YVR

Sheena Sumra, YVR, Component link

Here are your committee members!

Some positions are still available so do not hesitate to get involved! Joining a committee is a great way to get started with union involvement.

The union is much more than its executives. Looking for a resolution for 2023? Get involved!

Stronger together

Contact us if you have any questions.

We can’t stress it enough, take your place!

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Insurance

The Committee will discuss changes to, and the renewal of the insurance contract. This committee shall meet once a year.

Contact: insurance@atcomponent.com

Chair : VACANT

YUL : Vacant

YYZ: VACANT

YVR: VACANT

 

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Communication and mobilization

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.

Contact: mobilisationTS2022@gmail.com

Component link: Dominic Levasseur

Chair : Andréanne Charlebois

 

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Women’s Committee

Our mandate is to increase cabin personnel’s and the company’s awareness of matters relating to status of women. Such issues include but are not limited to employment and pay equity, harassment and discrimination, workplace violence and pregnancy and maternity related issues.

Contact : women@atcomponent.com

Chair : VACANT

Component link : VACANT

YUL : VACANT

YYZ : VACANT

YVR : Julie Roberts and Kait Glasser

 

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Environment

The objective of this Committee is to recommend and explore various ways in which Air Transat can reduce their environmental footprint.

Contact : enviro@atcomponent.com

Chair : Éric Stringer

Component link : Marie-Hélène Nadeau

YUL : Éric Stringer

YYZ : VACANT

YVR : Danielle Jung

 

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Employment Equity Committee

The committee establishes a forum for sharing information and developing other mechanisms to ensure that all Air Transat employees are aware of the objectives of employment equity. The committee also contributes to oversee the implementation of the employment equity program in order to develop fair, equitable, and barrier-free employment practices.

 

Contact : president@atcomponent.com

Chair : Daniel Pelletier

Component link: Dominic Levasseur

 

 

PAY EQUITY

Canadians have the right to workplace compensation practices that are free from gender discrimination. Pay equity is about ensuring that employers pay you equally for work of equal value.

 

Contact : president@atcomponent.com

Chair : Julie Francescon

Component link: Dominic Levasseur

 

 

PMC (Personnel Management)

Our work as it relates to the personnel consists in compiling the requests we receive by order of seniority, regardless of whether the request applies to holidays, a leave without pay, a mini-block or a shared block. Our Committee is also responsible for granting annual vacations based on the calendar provided by the company. This occurs during the month of November.

Contact : pmc@atcomponent.com

Chair : Marcus Dearn

Component link : Lisa Berni

Air Transat : 1- Suzanne Lapointe

YUL : 1- Jennifer Power, Stéphanie Léonard

YYZ : 1- Marcus Dearn 2-Orsola Garcia

YVR : 1- Lori Torlone 2-Benoît Thibault

 

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Blocking Committee

Our mandate is to ensure that the preparation and awarding of regular and reserve blocks are in accordance with the provisions of the Collective Agreement.

Contact : pbs@atcomponent.com

Chair : Karine Castano

Component link : Lisa Berni

Air Transat : Suzanne Lapointe

YUL : 1- Andréanne Charlebois 2-Lea Napoletano 3-Isabelle Ménard

yulpbs@gmail.com

YYZ : 1- Yolanda Fernandez 2-Ana Rodrigues

yyzpbs@gmail.com

YVR : 1- Laura Oswin 2-Raymond Sukul

yvrpbs@gmail.com

 

 

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Bargaining

As defined in the bylaws, the Bargaining Committee is represented by the six members of the Component Executive, chaired by the President.

President:Dominic Levasseur

Lisa Berni

Martin Rondeau

Marie-Hélène Nadeau

Jill Patterson

Sheena Sumra

Alexandre Prégeant, CUPE rep

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Duty Free

Our Committee’s objective is to make recommendations to the Company in order to maximize our revenues with the commissions on the duty free products.

Contact : dutyfree@atcomponent.com

Chair : Georgia Kalogiannis

Component link : Sheena Sumra

Air Transat : Fernando Moreria

YUL : Jennifer Yurchuk

YYZ : 1- Geraldine Carroll 2- Kieta D’Aguilar

YVR : 1- Sheena Sukhraj Sumra 2- Olivier Bouhadana

 

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Hotel and Transportation

Made up of one Cabin Attendant representative per home base, this Committee is designed to evaluate hotels and any other related matters dealing with accommodations when Cabin Personnel are away from home base.

Before sending us comments via email, it is essential that you complete a crewcare report via Mundo.  Crewcares are the best way to get the proper follow up.

Contact: hotel@atcomponent.com

Chair: Philippe Jutras

Component link: Dominic Levasseur

Air Transat : Suzanne Lapointe

YUL: Lyne Nantel

YYZ : Siuzanne Lamont

YVR: 1- Daniel Charette

 

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Interline

The interline committee was created as an advisory group. Our mission is to bring suggestions and solutions to the Blue Plass department with the intention of ultimately improving travel benefits for all CA’s.

Contact : interlinets@gmail.com

Chair : Julie Tan-Ramos

Component link: Dominic Levasseur

YUL : 1-David Coulombe 2-Tanya Puri

YYZ : 1-Géraldine Caroll

YVR : 1- Michael Thomas

 

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Young Workers

The mission of the Young Workers’ Committee is to increase the involvement of young people in our union structures and to overcome the lack of historical knowledge about our union movement, its role, its struggles, and its gains to mobilize the young generation of workers. The young workers’ committee have, as a mission, to give a voice to the new generation by focusing on the reflection of our issues, our needs and examining the question of the mobilization of young people in our union structure.

Contact : youth@atcomponent.com

Chair: VACANT

Component link : Marie-Hélène Nadeau

YUL: Claudia Obed Larosilièere, Mélissa Paul Battist

YYZ : Caitlin Eid

YVR : VACANT

 

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Language Qualified

This subcommittee was created to analyse options that will not negatively impact the LQ coverage and at a reasonable cost for system configuration.

Contact :

Chair : Lydia Brescia

Component link : Lisa Berni

YUL : Lydia Brescia

YYZ : VACANT

YVR : VACANT

 

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Crew Meal

The objective of this committee is to taste and make recommendations on the choice of the crew meals.The Committee, with the Company, shall be observant of all aspects of nutrition, meaning quantity and variety.The Company shall consult the members of the committee prior to determining, changing or renewing crew meals.

Contact : crewmeal@atcomponent.com

Chair : Stephanie Davy-Griffith

Component link : Jill Patterson

YUL : Sandra Remelgado

YYZ:  Amanda Michalopoulos

YVR: Chantal Arsenault & Kait Glasser

 

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Pension and Retirement

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

Contact : pension@atcomponent.com

Chair : Charles-Éric Latour

Component link: Sheena Sumra

YUL: Marie-Claude Bourdages

YYZ: David Ogilvie

YVR: Julie Roberts

 

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Health and Safety

The Safety Committee shall act to prevent industrial diseases and work-related accidents, and in order to ensure the health, safety and sanitation of the cabin crew at all times on the premises and in connection with the work, the Company shall take appropriate measures.

Please do not stop sending us coruson reports!

 

Contact : hs-chair@atcomponent.com

hs@atcomponent.com

Chair : Susan Ireland

Component link: Jill Patterson, Dominic Levasseur

Lien Air Transat: Nathalie Legault (PC)

YUL : 1-Lisa Kampis 2- Marilou Jade Perreault

SSTYUL@atcomponent.com

YYZ: 1- Jennifer Ashitei Wysocki 2- Eva Gile

HSYYZatcomponent.com

YVR 1-Julie Poupart  2-Sheena Sumra

HSYVR@atcomponent.com

 

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Service

As per articles 7.02 and 7.04, the company is required to consult the Union prior to making any changes that affect our duties. The company continues to maintain its management rights as per article 2; however, our consultative role is strong and gives us a voice with regards to service and standards.

Contact : service@atcomponent.com

Chair : Sandrine La Via

Component link : Dominic Levasseur

Air Transat : Fernando Moreira

YUL : 1-Sonia Pereira 2 VACANT

YYZ : 1- Marcus Dearn 2- Tracey King-Tomlinson 3-Julie Macleod

YVR : 1- Leanne Poon 2-Linnea Chaves

 

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Trustees

The trustees shall act as Auditing Committee on behalf of the members and audit the books and accounts of the Secretary-Treasurer at least once every calendar year. They make a written report of their finding to the first Membership Meeting following the completion of each Audit.

Contact : treasurer@atcomponent.com

Component link : Martin Rondeau

Component

3 years- Leanne Poon

2 years- Vacant, see election notice

1 years- Vacant see election notice

YUL :

1 year : Sophie Chevrefils

2 years : Jennifer Power

3 years: Daniel St-Amand

YYZ :

Marta Jeziorowska

Stephanie Davy-Griffith

Meagan McDonough

YVR :

Leanne Poon

Patricia Kelly

Jean-Francois Laframboise

 

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Tabulating/ elections

The Tabulation Committees of Locals 4041, 4047, 40478 and the Component shall be responsible for the conduct of voting for Union Officer elections. The committees shall ensure compliance with bylaws in their respective local or component constitution.

Contact : Tabulating@atcomponent.com

Chair : Maria Zongos

Component link: Lisa Berni / Martin Rondeau

YUL : Melissa Paul Battist

YYZ : Maria Zongos

YVR : Lori Torlone

 

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Pink Triangle

To promote and protect the same employee benefits and the same rights and privileges for members who identify themselves as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transsexual and/or Two-Spirited.  Lets no forget the signification of pink triangle : This symbol dates back to Hitler’s rise to power in the 1930s. Homosexuality was outlawed and gays and lesbians were sent to the concentration camps. Gay men were forced to wear the pink triangle just as the Jews were forced to wear the yel- low star to identify which group they belonged to.

Contact : pink@atcomponent.com

Co-Chairs : Lee Lessard, David Coulombe

Component link: Dominic Levasseur

YUL : David Coulombe

YYZ : Lee Lessard

YVR : Vacant

 

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Uniform

The mandate of our Committee is to represent and defend the interests of our members to ensure that they are provided with a uniform that is both as comfortable and as safe as possible.

Contact: uniform@atcomponent.com

Chairperson: Daniel Pelletier

Component link: Lisa Berni

Local 4041(YUL): Marie-Claude Lauzon

Local 4047(YYZ): Pamela Hodge, Grace Miyasaki, and Teresa Barroso

Local 4078(YVR): Linnea Chaves and Erika Nekuliak

Thank you to each and every one of you who braved the storm during this holiday season. You are at the heart of this company and more than ever, the company must take this into consideration.

The year 2022 is finally over! A year filled with challenges such as Omicron, the extension of our collective agreement, the restart of operations and the return to work of all our friends and colleagues, not to mention the difficult operations throughout the summer. You have held up strong and all of us at the component raise our hats and thank you for your work.

 

2023 will undoubtedly be a year of change, which we hope will be positive for all of us. Your bargaining team is motivated and ready to take on the challenge of the upcoming negotiations. The mobilization and communication committee is up and running, so stay tuned.

We will need everyone’s solidarity in the coming weeks. Our strength is you! We must think collectively, especially on the hot issue of the moment, the service at 4 cabin crew on the A321 neo LR. Please, follow the service plans!

Another hot issue is fatigue caused by difficult rotations. Your PBS committee is calling on you to report via the following link click here each flight that exceeds the daily maximum duty of 14 hours. This allows us to address the issue and make changes. Of course, in addition to the PBS link, if you “bust” you must fill out a coruson fatigue report.

 

In conclusion, I wish you all  a very happy holiday season and a wonderful year 2023!

Please note that I will be on vacation from Dec. 30 to Jan. 8 inclusively.

 

Your local teams are available to assist you.

 

Dominic Levasseur, President of your component.

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You are wondering how your union is preparing for bargaining?

Following the special meeting held on December 19th, we received many questions on how the union is preparing for collective bargaining.

The communication and mobilization committee would like to share this information with you. This information was taken from a CUPE bargaining guide.

 

We invite you to read it. 

 

 

How is your union preparing for negotiations?

 

Setting priorities

 

Once the survey information has been collected, we need to assess the priority demands based on the needs expressed by the membership and get a good sense of their impact and cost.

 

Preparation of the bargaining proposals

The bargaining proposals are constructed after consultation with the membership but must also consider the following:

 

a) Reviewing the problems that have arisen in recent years

 

b) Review the expired agreement, grievances and arbitration awards or any other problems that may have arisen along the way

 

c) Consult with the membership

 

d) Review other agreements

 

e) Assessing problems experienced by members during the course of the collective agreement

 

f) History of labour-management relations

 

 

Should all requests be retained?

Experience has shown that the longer our list of demands, the less likely we are to pass a high percentage of them.

 

The reverse is also true: the fewer demands we have, the more likely we are to get many of them accepted, or at least to reach a satisfactory compromise on each one. There is a middle ground to be found, taking into account our union practices.

 

We need to put forward as many demands as we think we have a chance of getting through, or at least to set a precedent. However, it is important to remember that no clause at all is better than a clause that does not work in practice. But it can also be said that an inoperative clause sets the stage for intervention reports grievances, written complaints, etc.

 

 

 

Other information about your company may be useful

 

For example:

Company financial statements.

Have production and services increased? To what extent?

Has your business grown or undergone various changes?

What is the attitude of your company’s management towards the next negotiation?

What are the company’s plans for the next two to three years?

Has the staff increased in proportion to the increase in production and services?

What is the situation of competing companies?

 

There is no guide to build our argument. We use whatever we can to justify our claim.

 

 

What do we present… and how?

Once we have done our preparation work and we know what the members want, we need to write the bargaining proposals These will be given to the employer at the first bargaining session.

 

The employer needs to know what we want, but not be able to determine too early what we are willing to negotiate or give up to avoid a strike.

 

 

During the process

A major component of the balance of power is the degree of mobilization of our members. One of the factors in the balance of power is the support of the membership for the bargaining committee. It is therefore essential for members to mobilize in order to make their support known to our bargaining committee.

 

To do this, your bargaining committee may well invite you to participate in visibility activities. Whether it’s wearing a visual sign at work, a demonstration, concerted actions, or any other activity, it’s important that everyone participates. This always sends a strong message to the employer and helps your committee move forward at the bargaining table. You will receive information from your bargaining committee and your mobilization and communication committee throughout the process, so stay tuned!

 

 

Agreement between the two parties

The parties will inevitably reach a tentative agreement at some point. When such an agreement is reached, the two committees mutually commit to recommending its adoption to their constituents. For the union, this means its members at a general meeting, and for the employer, it means the Air Transat Board of Directors.

 

 

Presentation of the agreement to the membership

The Negotiating Committee will then travel to all Bases to present this agreement and recommend its adoption.

At that time, the membership will be asked to vote on whether or not to adopt the tentative agreement.

 

Offer is accepted

Once the agreement is ratified, the texts are then corrected and signed by the parties. Some provisions may be applied retroactively, as is generally the case with salary increases, while others will be applied upon signature of the texts. The details will of course have been brought to you during the general ratification meeting.

 

 

Offer is refused

If, unfortunately, a labour dispute should be unavoidable, the general meeting is also the decision-making body for strike action. A union cannot call a strike without having obtained a mandate from its members. All the information you need to make an informed decision will be given to you at a general meeting. That being said, it is important to mention that 98% of collective negotiations are settled without a labour dispute.

 

In Solidarity,

 

Andréanne Charlebois

mobilisationTS2022@gmail.com

Head of the Component Mobilization and Communications Committee