October 5, 2007 at 12:00 AM
Last Tuesday the Bargaining Committee met with the Company’s Senior Management Team in Halifax. The meeting was in regards to the Company’s proposal to sub-contracting of additional Heavy Check Packages.
As you are aware the Company and Union engaged in a plan to mitigate the contracting of two CRJ aircraft last month. We were unsuccessful in reaching our target manpower requirements and ultimately the aircrafts were sent out. The Company then offered the Union the opportunity to try and mitigate through the same overtime means the sub-contracting of four DHC-8 Heavy Checks. The Union was in the process of waiting for the Company to provide exact scheduling requirements for these aircraft. The Company then informed the Union that it now had to send out a seventh aircraft, and the “Mix” had changed to three DHC-8’s and two CRJ’s, and the time in which to accomplish all the work had been changed to have it completed by the end of the year. The Union realizing the impossibility for its members to meet the manpower requirements at all decided to take a different course of action.
This new course of action demanded that the Company cease the contracting of Bargaining Unit work and provide a tangible plan of action to preclude the sub-contracting in the future. The Company was unable to provide the Union with its demands and therefore the Union informed the Company of its intent to file a grievance and proceed to the Mediation Arbitration process. This process took place on September 20, 2007.
During this time, the Company Management Team tried to explain the rationale for its predicament and indicated they would also provide overtime opportunities similar to that of LOU 12. The Union did not formally agree to this offer; however it did not instruct the Company not to provide the opportunity. It is for these reasons the Union requested its members not engage in any activity the company could perceive as a coordinated effort to hinder its operation.
John Murawesky, Pacific Region Bargaining Committee Chair
Peter Brown, Western Region Bargaining Representative
Ian Waite, Central Region Bargaining Representative
Ghobud Khorasni, Toronto Airport Bargaining Representative
Daniel Marion, Eastern Region Bargaining Representative
David Gylland, Atlantic Region Bargaining Representative
Roberto Lampasona, Tech 2 Bargaining Representative
cc: Jazz Technical Services Bargaining Committee
Ron Smith, CAW National Representative
Nick Philpott, CAW Local 2002 Grievance Coordinator