We Need Change - Now more than ever!

Written By Charlene Hudy

The strength of a movement is in its people; in their ability to find common values and to express a shared purpose.  Furloughs, grounded fleets, and reduced blocks have all hindered our ability to share with one another in flight decks, restaurants and coffee shops all over the world.  But, like so many others, Pilots for Change transitioned to Zoom and continued to meet weekly with a growing and diverse group of organizers and supporters.  Perhaps there was a time when these meetings merely allowed pilots to support one another while waiting out this pandemic, but quickly we found ourselves debating controversial MOA’s, scheduling rules, COVID-protocols  and overtime abuse.

Another active topic earlier this year was the firing of hard-working volunteers from our own Association. P4C organizers who also volunteered for ACPA were told that their services were no longer required. It was clear that our union politics did not align with the business association politics of the small majority on the MEC. This fact has not weakened our resolve for change, rather, it has motivated us to work even harder. When highly experienced, knowledgeable and credible volunteers are dismissed from our volunteer-based association it becomes crystal clear that change is our only real option.

A New Start with Fresh Ideas

Website Update

We have revised and refreshed the homepage of our website at www.pilotsforchange.ca. Now it more clearly than ever represents our strategic vision for our union. Make sure you check it out and pass the link along to your fellow pilots. We welcome any feedback (which can be provided right on the website). Our social media is also ramping up once again so if you do not follow us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook now is the perfect time to do so. Earlier this month on our socials, we highlighted some of the key statements made in our very own ACPA constitution. These principles need to be adhered to as they are the foundation of our association. If we can follow the ideals already laid out in our constitution in combination with our Pilots for Change Core Elements of Knowledge, Community, Accountability, Culture, Engagement, and Professional Pride our union will be revitalized, and control returned to the membership. As a pilot association within Canada we need to strive to set the bar higher for every member of our profession – past, present and future. Our constitution clearly states that we embrace the motto of “Advancing Pilot’s Careers, Compensation and Safety”. It’s a great motto and should never be far from the minds of our union leaders.

Upcoming Survey

Also in the works is a survey which will launch at the beginning of August. The goal of the survey is to learn more about the colleagues whom we wish to represent and to get the word out about Pilots for Change. This is our member driven union after all, so feedback from all pilots is paramount as we continue to build our grassroots movement and steer our Association towards union basics. Our constitution is right on the mark when it states that “The ultimate direction and control of the Association shall be vested in the members.”

Pay Comparisons

That is not all!  Pilots for Change organizers have spent the last few months taking a deep dive into our compensation and comparing it to our industry peers, to other professionals within Canada and perhaps, most importantly, with our past selves of twenty years ago.  When we look at our careers from 30, 000 ft, over the last twenty years, it becomes dramatically apparent just how undervalued we are. 

The slide below is just a small sample of what we have been working on:

Elections

Over the summer we’ve had the chance to get to know some of the great candidates that we are excited to introduce to you once election dates have been shared with the membership. As we campaign for your support of Pilots for Change candidates, we are also going to raise awareness about what our value truly is as professional pilots. Please spread the word and if you are interested in helping us organize send us an email.

Thank you!

Thank you for your time and attention. Stay tuned to this newsletter and our social media pages for more information as the fall election season approaches and for the link to the upcoming survey!  Your participation is needed, for without readers like yourselves our movement would not be possible. 

As we return to sharing time together in flight decks, restaurants and coffee shops, it’s time to keep the momentum building.  The recovery from the pandemic will bring opportunity for our employer as well as for us pilots.  We need an engaged pilot group now more than ever.  

 

This is your union, and your voice should matter.

Let’s talk about one of the core elements of Pilots for Change - Professional Pride! When we work as a crew to manage our way through bad weather, schedule delays, onboard failures or any of the hundreds of daily distractions– in a way t
Let’s talk about one of the core elements of Pilots for Change - Professional Pride! When we work as a crew to manage our way through bad weather, schedule delays, onboard failures or any of the hundreds of daily distractions– in a way that aligns with our high standards as professionals– we feel pride. ✈️ 🧑‍✈️ ✈️ 👩‍✈️ In the case of our association, we feel pride when we make gains for our members, protect our pilots under our collective agreement and when we are able to stand united against the negative forces that threaten to diminish our profession.  For many Air Canada pilots, professional pride is often missing in the workplace. Past failures of our association, perceived divisions amongst our pilot group and our current state of individual isolation is overtaking us. ✈️ ⛈ ✈️ But, we can reclaim our professional pride by getting back to the basics of following our SOPs, flying the contact, actively reporting issues we encounter on the line and by simply wearing our ACPA pin. P4C believes that our crew and passengers come first and by adhering to this belief professional pride will permeate our every action and become an unstoppable force within our pilot group. 👩‍✈️ 👨‍✈️ 👨🏽‍✈️👩🏻‍✈️ During a time when we have 600 of our fellow pilots furloughed, remembering to take pride in our profession is of the utmost importance. We belong to a highly skilled and specialized talent pool of labour so when we raise the bar for ourselves that in turn raises the bar for our fellow colleagues who are currently on layoff and at other airlines. Our professional solidarity matters and makes a difference. Standing up for our collective agreement rights and saying no to VO while pilots are furloughed are all ways that enhance our profession. It sends an all important signal of unity and that we know we are all in this together. ✈️ 👊 ✈️ To find out more about what P4C thinks about Professional Pride please check out our website. The link is in our bio.
Let’s talk about our ACPA Constitution! Have you checked it out? It can be found on the members only section of the ACPA website under ‘Documents & Multimedia’ in the Polices & Manuals section. 📃📃📃 At the beginning o
Let’s talk about our ACPA Constitution! Have you checked it out? It can be found on the members only section of the ACPA website under ‘Documents & Multimedia’ in the Polices & Manuals section. 📃📃📃 At the beginning our constitution states: “The Air Canada Pilots Association was founded to further the best interests of the Air Canada Pilots. The Air Canada Pilots Association is to be organized and directed by the membership, for the benefit of the membership, and is founded on the principle of providing each member, to the maximum extent practical, an opportunity to direct the Association’s leadership in the conduct of its affairs. Accordingly, the Association is dedicated to ensuring an equal voice for all Air Canada Pilots in the management of our relationship with our employer and the regulatory bodies, and in the continued efforts to promote the well-being of our membership and their families.” 📃 ✈️📃✈️ There are some great elements within our very own constitution and Pilots for Change believes these elements should be upheld and embraced alongside our 6 core elements of culture, knowledge, engagement, accountability, community and professional pride. ✈️ 👩‍✈️ 👨‍✈️ ✈️ #P4C
Let’s talk about one of the core elements of Pilots for Change - Accountability! Every time we put on the uniform we are expected to perform to the highest standards. Just as accountability is demanded of us, we should demand accountability fr
Let’s talk about one of the core elements of Pilots for Change - Accountability! Every time we put on the uniform we are expected to perform to the highest standards. Just as accountability is demanded of us, we should demand accountability from our association.   ✈️ P4C believes the implementation of the governance model still lacks sufficient definition of roles, responsibilities and clear boundaries. The MEC does not currently use a strategic plan to guide objectives and measure success. Furthermore, there continues to be limited tools and training available to help the MEC/LEC members manage their workload, keeping them from focusing on overall strategy. The combined result has been a negative impact on overall effectiveness, and a growing lack of trust from the membership.  ✈️ Pilots for Change will bake accountably into our pilot union by building a short and long term strategic plan, enforcing the contract, training our current leaders, mentoring our future ones, bolstering MEC oversight and rethinking being an independent association. ✈️ To discover more about all of our core elements check out our website. The link is in our bio. #CoreElements #P4C
🇨🇦 ✈️ 🇨🇦 As pilots we have a unique perspective on how vast and awesome this country truly is. 🍁 🍁 🍁 We are looking forward to welcoming back our passengers and taking you wherever you want to explore. #ohcanada #P4C
Fully trained, qualified and rested pilots are essential for maintaining our professions high level of safety. ✈️ Our regulations state that a minimum of two crew members are required for airline operations. We must ensure that those regulations
Fully trained, qualified and rested pilots are essential for maintaining our professions high level of safety. ✈️ Our regulations state that a minimum of two crew members are required for airline operations. We must ensure that those regulations stay in place by vigorously advocating for our pilot profession. 👨‍✈️ 👩‍✈️ Building and sustaining government support is one of the many important jobs of a union. #P4C #SafetyDriven ✈️ To learn more about pilotsforchange please have a look at our website. The link is in our bio.
Let’s talk about one of the core elements of Pilots for Change - Professional Pride! When we work as a crew to manage our way through bad weather, schedule delays, onboard failures or any of the hundreds of daily distractions– in a way t Let’s talk about our ACPA Constitution! Have you checked it out? It can be found on the members only section of the ACPA website under ‘Documents & Multimedia’ in the Polices & Manuals section. 📃📃📃 At the beginning o Let’s talk about one of the core elements of Pilots for Change - Accountability! Every time we put on the uniform we are expected to perform to the highest standards. Just as accountability is demanded of us, we should demand accountability fr
🇨🇦 ✈️ 🇨🇦 As pilots we have a unique perspective on how vast and awesome this country truly is. 🍁 🍁 🍁 We are looking forward to welcoming back our passengers and taking you wherever you want to explore. #ohcanada #P4C
Fully trained, qualified and rested pilots are essential for maintaining our professions high level of safety. ✈️ Our regulations state that a minimum of two crew members are required for airline operations. We must ensure that those regulations

 

Charlene Hudy
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