June 15, 2021 at 4:30 PM
RECALLS:
Great news! With the high number of members retiring and with the positive outlook on the pandemic recovery, the company has been shifting from layoffs to recalling employees back to the workplace.
As of May 25, 2021, a vacancy was declared for 610 members system-wide. Some locations still have a ways to go in bringing members back to the workplace. One location that has nearly returned to pre-covid levels is our (YSJ) Saint John- Contact Centre. The first round of recalls has been completed and the second wave commences the week of June 14, 2021.
As the business plan for a return to normal operations keeps evolving, we are expecting that there will be more declarations of vacancies announced and more members will be recalled to the workplace. Below is the Recall Process. If you are thinking of changing your recall sheet, please ensure you do it as quickly as possible. Once the snapshot has been taken no changes will be accepted.
- Vacancy declared snapshot taken that day. This means that you must have your transfer/updated recall sheet in by that day. The union gets no warning that the vacancy will be declared.
- Transfers are processed. Firm recall offers are sent out. Conditional recall offers are sent out. If you receive a conditional offer, you cannot decline it unless you have another firm offer. You cannot “take a chance” and hope something else arrives. If you decline a conditional offer and it becomes firm you will be terminated.
- Recalls are done in seniority order by the base. The company decides on the location of the recall within the base according to its needs at the time of the recall. To speed up the process the company will identify the day you will return to payroll. However, you may be assigned a training date later in the week. This is done to ensure that seniority has been respected.
RETURNING MEMBERS RATES OF PAY:
Many returning members have advised that they have checked their rate of pay and believe there is an error. The first step is to contact the Employee Care Team (ECT) and verify with them. If you still believe it is wrong, please contact your District Chairperson. Please be advised for members who were laid off June 6
th, 2020, and recalled June 5th, 2021 you have lost one year of service. This means your advancement through the pay scale is delayed by one year. The February annual raise is automatic. Your progression through the scale will follow.
EARLY RETIREMENT INCENTIVE PLAN (ERIP):
As expected, we had a very strong response to the ERIP. The exit dates were set by the company. At the last UMHQ, (Union Management Headquarters Meeting), we asked the company if they would be offering round two with more exit dates in the fall. The company advised us although they were very pleased with the success of the just-completed offer, they will not be offering a second-round of exit dates in the fall.
EBID PROCESS:
The company has approached the bargaining committee about automating the schedule bidding process similar to the vacation e-bid. This is not a preferential bidding system. The union is open to the idea and we have formed a committee to ensure our interests are protected as the project evolves.
GROUP TERMINATION – SEVERANCE AFTER ONE YEAR OF LAYOFF:
(This process does not affect your recall rights, they remain intact)
The company is in the process of completing the Group Termination for members who were laid off on June 6, 2020, and have not been recalled. What this means is that the Canada Labour Code defines the process a company must follow.
General information can be found on the Government of Canada link below:
https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/labour-standards/reports/termination.html
At the end of their employment, employees affected by a group termination of employment should receive:
- all outstanding wage including overtime pay, (time bank),
- vacation pay;
- termination pay, if two weeks written notice was not provided;
- severance pay for employees with more than 12 months of service
The company has been contacting individuals who are affected by email and by Canada Post. The Canada Labour Code states that you must receive your payments 30 days from the date of termination. If you believe there is an error in your calculation, or you have not received notification by July 6
th, 2021, please contact your District Chairperson immediately.
PRINTING OF THE COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT BOOKLETS:
This has been frustrating for all. We are actively working with the company to complete the Collective Agreement changes and publish them for distribution. Unfortunately, the pandemic has caused publishing delays and we are actively working to rectify the situation.
In Solidarity,
Your Air Canada Bargaining Committee
Frances Galambosy, Central Region, Chairperson
Tammy Moore, Atlantic Region
Benoit Lapointe, Eastern Region
Joanne Goulet, Western Region
Steve Murphy, Pacific Region
Leslie Dias,Unifor Director – Airlines Sector