October 8, 2010 at 8:15 AM
Since ratifying the current collective agreement in June 2009, the CAW Bargaining Committee has been meeting regularly with the GTAA to find resolutions on the many concerns that have been occurring in the workplace. A series of issues brought forward by the GTAA to the Bargaining Committee was the inconsistent application of scheduling, vacation bidding, shift trading and overtime. In June, the Bargaining Committee polled the membership and compiled a list of findings. The Committee then entered into a lengthy series of discussions with members of the GTAA’s management team. The result of these discussions is an agreed-to set of procedures which reflect the intent of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Bargaining Committee believes the consistent application of these procedures will be an improvement for the membership. Please take the time to review the synopsis of these procedures included below. If you have any questions or concerns please contact a member of the Bargaining Committee or a representative at the union office (6-3103).
Vacation Leave
The vacation year for employees who work extended schedules (shift workers) will run from January 1 to December 31. The exception will be Airfield Maintenance whose schedule will run from November 1 to October 31. Vacation bidding allotments will not be changed, up to three (3) weeks maximum on the first bid and two (2) weeks in the summer months. See Article 23:06 for details.
Scheduling
Employees will be provided a 1 (one) year schedule in early November detailing all shifts to be worked in the following year. Vacation bidding will take place mid-November based on the schedule provided. This will occur via a live bidding process. A one time balancing1 will occur to allow for the maximum number of vacation bids. This balancing will not change any days on or off but might change the shift within a given day. Any shifts that are balanced will be able to be traded and will not count against the restrictions.
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1Please note this balancing is only a requirement for employees who work the Operational 5X3 shift. After this process and by December 8, a final shift schedule will be posted (approximately Nov 1st for Airfield Maintenance).
Shift Trading
Members can trade shifts within the following parameters;
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Required to work 50% of the scheduled day, evening and midnight shifts each month
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Allowed to trade one cycle of shifts per year that will not count against the 50% restriction
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Any balanced shift will be in addition to the 50% restriction
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One day of rest is required per cycle
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No third party trades will be allowed
Overtime
A consistent transparent approach to overtime will be utilized for all areas going forward. The exact procedure is still being addressed in ongoing discussions between your BC and the GTAA. The framework that has been agreed to will ensure clear and fair overtime opportunities.
Resource Management Unit
To ensure that procedures are standardized in application, the Resource Management Unit (RMU) - staffed by CAW members - will administer and process them. The RMU will be responsible for receiving and documenting requests. More communication will be provided on the specifics of this process (i.e. sick leave calls will be directed to the RMU).
In closing, your Bargaining Committee is pleased with the outcome of these discussions and will continue to advocate for you. The members of the Committee are always available to discuss any questions you have regarding this or any other issues.
In Solidarity,
Your Bargaining Committee
Jeff Hatt
Todd M. Browne
Mark DaSilva
Antonia Grabowski
Pauline Leloudas
Fred Romolo
Lars Sorensen
For more information, please contact:
T1 Union office (EDS090) - Tel: (416) 776-3103