Harold’s Newsletter for Central Region

Aug 03, 2022

August 3, 2022

Welcome to the first Central Region newsletter!

When I was district chair at the Toronto airport, we did our best to be quick and efficient in keeping the membership informed. I want to continue in that tradition in my new role as Bargaining Committee member for the Central Region. The Central Region is made up of YOW-ARPT, YYZ-ARPT. YTO Contact Center, and CJM.

What to expect from this newsletter?

I understand everyone’s time is valuable, so I will try to focus on what is most relevant for the Central Region. Remember that any decisions or communication of the Bargaining Committee itself will be communicated directly by the Committee, and this Central Region newsletter will not represent the views or opinions of the Bargaining Committee, or that of any other members on the committee, or the views of the Unifor national office. This is simply a summary of important things that have crossed my desk, which I believe the membership in the Central Region may be interested in.

So without further delay, let’s get to the first edition of the Central Region newsletter.

PROTECTING OUR WORK:

“Every airport is troubled this summer, but Toronto's may literally be the worst in the world.”

The Big Story news podcast just published a 30 minute report on the problems at Pearson. You can listen to it in full here: What’s really going on at Toronto’s Pearson airport? — The Big Story (thebigstorypodcast.ca)

Sometimes it is tempting to overlook a scope work violation when we find ourselves overwhelmed and short-handed. However, it’s very important to take the time to report any scope work violation. Article 4.02 defines our scope work with the full list of tasks for which we are responsible as CES agents. These are tasks that only CES are allowed to perform. This is one of the most important provisions in the collective agreement, because without it there is nothing stopping the company from hiring non-unionized employees with zero benefits to perform our work alongside us.

Just as we don’t board a plane and take over the scope work of a flight crew, we also cannot have other staff doing our scope work. Violations of our scope work can include:

No CES available to meet a flight, and a manager or flight crew self- releasing the flight.
Member of a flight crew pushing a wheelchair.
Manager changing a PNR or rebooking customers.

With working conditions as they are, we do not have enough staff anywhere and it is imperative that we report all scope violations to the district office so that a grievance can be filed. Make a note of date, time, place, and flight number, and any other details that seem important depending on the situation.

We must do everything we can to protect our scope work, because ultimately this is how the Company will understand that they need to hire more CES agents to handle the current crisis.

TRANSFERS:

Q4 transfers are expected to be coming soon. No date has been set for when the snapshot of the transfer list will be taken. However, if you are interested in transferring, make sure your transfer has been submitted using the E Transfer tool on the Aeronet and then HR Connect. If you have questions or concerns regarding your transfer, reach out to your District office.

Remember that all residency periods must be completed to be eligible for a transfer.

If you are interested in transferring to Customer Journey Management (CJM) located in the Operation’s Centre in Brampton, the company is offering a familiarization visit. This is on your own time and can be requested by contacting karin.burton@aircanada.ca and cc unifor2002cjm@gmail.com.

Annual Time Bank Deposit:

Article 7.08.04: On September 1st of each calendar year, the Company will deposit into each full time employee’s time bank the following hours:

Employees with less than 15 years of company service – 16 hours

Employees with greater than 15 years: 48 hours

NOTE:

●       The amount is half for Part Time employees.
●       To be eligible you must have worked at least one day within the previous year.
●       If you have a time bank, the hours will be deposited into your time bank, otherwise the hours will be shown on your pay stub.
●       Layoff and LOAs will affect your company service date and your new company service date will be used to determine eligibility.

About Harold:

Harold is the Central Region Representative on the Bargaining Committee since June 1, 2022.

Harold started his career with Air Canada in 1996 at the Saint John Reservation office. Having been born and raised in New Brunswick he wanted to see what else Canada had to offer. In June 1997, he transferred to the Winnipeg Reservation office, and in Winnipeg Harold worked full time for the National CAW as a community-based organizer for over two years. Harold was also involved with Dreams Take Flight-YWG. In 2002 for the 10th anniversary of Dreams Take Flight, Harold was instrumental in organizing two A320 full of kids for one momentous day at Disney World.

After meeting his wife, he transferred to Ottawa airport where he was the District Chair. Harold transferred one last time to Toronto Airport where he has worked as a CSSA/CES since 2010. He was elected District Chair of the largest District in Unifor Local 2002 before becoming the Bargaining Representative for the Central Region.

Harold enjoys traveling with his wife and daughter, live theatre, and downhill skiing in Canada’s Rocky Mountains.