Happy Saint Valentine's Day
February 14, 2023
Membership meetings held in the Central Region
Very grateful to all the members that participated in our membership meetings last month in the Central Region. If you were unable to attend, we will have these again. If you have attended in the past, make sure to let the new hires know what the meetings are about and bring them along with you.
It’s been a while since the last newsletter of the Central Region, but a lot has been happening and we are due for an update.
CJM, District 304
After much hard work by CJM District Chair, David P, the company has agreed to bring back the leads in this department. Communication went out to the members of D304 last month and the selection process has begun.
The Leadership of Unifor Local 2002, including President Tammy Moore, was on hand in early January to support David in meetings with local management over numerous concerns at CJM affecting our members. I want to thank members of D304 for rising above the challenges and to assure you that the leadership at Unifor Local 2002 will continue working to improve working conditions.
YTO-RES, District 300
Setting up work from home configurations has hit a few obstacles, with the first phase of Internet speed tests taking longer than expected. I understand that kits have started to be handed out, with even more on the way. The next phase of speed tests is expected to start in the next week.
Your District Chair, Satya, and I met with the company for the quarterly Monitoring and Measuring meetings. A number of issues were discussed, including the recent issue where our members’ schedules were not loaded into total view. The company agreed this was not acceptable and committed to investigate and resolve the problem.
In other good news, the Groups department will be increasing on the next shift Bid as customer loads continue to increase. Your DC Satya and I are committed to representing the growing membership in this specialized function in Toronto.
YOW-ARPT Planners
![Domestic Arrival @ YOW Ottawa Airport | 300V | (^_~) [MARK'N MARKUS] (~_^) | Flickr](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe46dd19d-3d12-4d7c-8aae-27eb630046c9_1024x633.jpeg "Domestic Arrival @ YOW Ottawa Airport | 300V | (^_~) [MARK'N MARKUS] (~_^) | Flickr")
District Chair Tracy N and I have had discussions with Labour Relations and local management regarding concerns of how planners are scheduling the blocks. We are working together to try and fix some issues. In the meantime, it’s important to remember that once you acknowledge your lunch break, it cannot be changed without the company advising the employee of their available options. (Article 6.02.04 NOTE 2)
Rates of Pay Increase
Everyone will receive a rate of pay increase at the end of February. Details are covered in Article 5.04.
On the A scale, your pay will go up by 2%. On the B scale, your pay will move over to the 2023 column at the same step.
It is important to remember that it will be the first FULL pay period after Feb 28. This means your increase will be reflected on the pay that is scheduled to be deposited on March 29, 2023.
Sick Days
We are still waiting for the company to inform the Union of how they plan to implement the new federal law granting 10-PAID sick days to federally regulated workers. I understand they have already finalized discussion with IAM, and we have been told to expect something for Unifor shortly. The Bargaining Committee will keep members informed as soon as there are any developments.
Arbitration on LOU-38 Joint Harassment Investigation Process
Since July 2021, the company has not been following LOU 38 set out in our Collective Agreement. A Policy Grievance was heard at arbitration late last month, and I am pleased to share that we have reached a settlement. For any harassment complaints that involve two members of the same bargaining unit, a thorough and detailed investigation will be conducted by a fully trained and qualified Unifor Local 2002 staffer. All complaints are still to be filed via the company HRHO office. If you have any questions, please contact your District Leadership.
2022 T4
It’s that time of the year again: tax season! In preparation for tax time, the company has issued T4 slips for the 2022 year. There has been some confusion as the company issued two T4s for the same year, but the company has confirmed that this was not a mistake and that you need to use both when filing your taxes for 2022. If there are any issues with your T4 slips or you have any questions about this issue, please reach out to Air Canada HR.
GIDIP Road Show
The first GIDIP stop in the cross-Canada tour kicked off in Vancouver earlier this month. If you have any questions or concerns about our disability insurance plan, please attend an upcoming meeting in the Central Region. The first meeting in Vancouver proved to be very informative, and it was a great opportunity for members to speak directly with our GIDIP trustees.
March 23 – Ottawa
April 27 & 28 – Toronto
Your District Chairs will announce the locations and times closer to the event.
