February 20, 2019 at 7:00 AM
The Unifor District 715 Leadership met on January 29, 2019 in Halifax to discuss several ongoing internal matters. Numerous items were on the agenda (updates will be provided at our upcoming base meeting on March 12th). One of topics discussed at the January 29th meeting pertained to mentorship and compliance that the union would like to engage with the Crew Chiefs.
It has been brought to our attention that a number of adverse instances occurred and could have been avoided, if we were following the mentoring policy AWP36 and following the Maintenance Release Requirements of GMP84 (General Maintenance Procedure). Most of the faults could have been avoided had an ACA (Aircraft Certification Authority) been assigned. Furthermore, the ACA should have been actively involved with the task, mentoring the Apprentice and completing inspection of the work.
As recent as December 2018, JTS issued a Crew Briefing which highlighted that an error was made and it stated: Remember when signing for someone else’s work the rule that applies is as follows: GMP84 section 4.2 Information Note: CAR 571.11(6) states:
"If a maintenance release is signed by a person in respect of work performed by another person, the person signing the maintenance release must personally observe the work to the extent necessary to ensure that it is performed in accordance with the requirements of any applicable standards of airworthiness and, specifically, the requirements of sections 571.02 and 571.10."
In addition, section 4.2 a) states:
"When exercising the privilege of signing a Maintenance Release, the person is accountable to:
i. Verify the person performing the work is authorized and qualified to do so."
The note above advises "authorized" means the person is qualified to do the work, and has performed the task at least once before without fault, and is confident in performing the task without supervision.
Currently at JTS, we are short the number of ACAs that we would like to have and believe is essential to avoid errors. If we are assigning the Certified Engineer(s) to their own task and all the Apprentices on different tasks, is the person signing the maintenance release personally observing the work? The company has repeatedly asked us to ensure we are conforming to GMP84. If you are signing-off work that you have not inspected to some extent, then you are not in compliance. We at JTS have great respect for the work we perform on a daily basis, and a drive to put out a safe product to get the aircrafts out on schedule. The Crew Chiefs fall in that category and have pride in their work. They are also in the unique position of being able to assign work and keep us in compliance of GMP84 and AWP36.
We join JTS in asking the Crew Chiefs do their best to ensure that Apprentices are assigned with Certified Engineers. This does not mean the ratio has to be 1:1, but additional resources would assist in making sign-off more accountable. We are encouraging everyone to work together to give the Apprentices tasks where they can be mentored and their work is carefully inspected, so they may work confidently and safely.
If you find yourself in the position where you do not have a Certified Engineer, and you (as a Crew Chief) have too many Apprentices to carry out the duties yourself, the issue needs to be addressed immediately with the Supervisor on shift so that a better ratio is provided. We would also ask that you email the Union so we are aware of when these issues are occurring.
The Union Leadership is committed to work with JTS Management to address the challenges we face in Heavy Maintenance. In the meantime, we should all take an active role in helping to mentor the next generation of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers and ensure that all our work is carried out in accordance with the applicable maintenance standards.
In Solidarity,
Your Union Leadership,
Tim Way – Bargaining Committee Chairperson
Doug Mosher – District Chairperson
Mike McFarlane – Bargaining Committee Tech 2
Terry Fenerty – Bargaining Committee Tech 1
Jason Bowen – Vice Chairperson
Colin Smith – Vice Chairperson
Rob Dalton – Vice Chairperson
Dennis Williston – Vice Chairperson
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