February 18, 2015 at 9:12 AM
The company has finally released a bulletin announcing changes to the shift trade policies that our members have practiced for decades. We are outraged that they have chosen to forge ahead with little regard for the negative impact on our members.
In the bulletin the company identifies a number of issues of concern; one in particular is the reporting of hours worked. The Canada Labour Code does not obligate an employer to report on a quarterly basis; yearly reporting achieves the same end result and requirement. The company also references a health and safety aspect yet this concern is not reflective in past practice. When they are soliciting members to work extra hours due to irregular operations they have never shown any regard for the well-being of employees. To our knowledge no Unifor member has suffered a work place injury as a result of shift trading.
In making their position clear, the validity of their issues becomes questionable.
As we are currently in bargaining we will continue to evaluate the details of the company’s position and formulate our options. We have developed proposals that enable our members to continue with the flexibility of our shift trade practices.
We encourage each and every member to raise their concerns and ask questions regarding this issue with their local manager.
In solidarity,
Your Air Canada Bargaining Committee:
Veronica Kelly, Pacific region
Joanne Goulet, Western region
Frances Galambosy, Chairperson - Central region
Benoit Lapointe, Eastern region
Tammy Moore, Atlantic region
Cheryl Robinson, Local 2002 President
Leslie Dias, National Representative