Get Out The Vote!
Only six more days until the vote closes for the YUL, YWG and YVR Base Chair Elections. If you have not cast your vote for change, now is the time to do so! Call, email, text, send a message in a bottle or write it in the sky– but no matter how you do it, encourage your fellow colleagues to do the same. Our ratification on the recent MOA proved that we do have a very engaged and active pilot group. It is of the utmost importance to keep that engagement momentum going. When a pilot group has a high voter turnout it sends a message loud and clear that we are invested in our profession and that we care deeply about it.
Solidarity is not a faucet we can simply turn on
Recently, the MEC chose to remind us of the ongoing scope violation by Air Canada as it relates to the ratio between mainline aircraft and the regional aircraft in operation. This issue constitutes an ongoing grievance, and despite the most recent MOA negotiation process, the issue remains unresolved. Many pilots have voiced their strong views on this, and the possibility it may set a precedent for future erosion of article one of our contract. To that end, the ACPA MEC Chair has reached out to ALPA International through the Canadian president with the intention of discussing the issue.
We feel now is an important opportunity to think about how we support each other as professionals in a time where companies are more aggressively pushing up against established contract language in an effort to cut costs, increase flexibility and ultimately survive. To do so, management often appeals to a pilot's good sense, compassion and sometimes even our fears– but we cannot lose sight of the fact that scope language is our primary defence against whipsaw and the erosion of our wages and working conditions. It is also important to note that scope is an agreement strictly between ACPA and Air Canada. Air Canada Express pilots have no warnings that their flying might be outside of ACPA’s contractual scope ratios, and in practice no Express pilot would be violating any of their own contractual agreements or union standards by going flying on a given day. Furthermore, no unionized pilot would ever want to be knowingly involved in flying disputed work– so any implication that Express pilot groups endorse Air Canada’s decision to break mainline scope is completely bogus.
Ultimately ACPA’s leadership enforces the contract with Air Canada, and it is up to us as members to make sure that they are accountable as such. But there is something we can do for one another when it comes to compelling Air Canada to do the right thing. When we build strong bonds with our Express pilot groups (or any pilot group for that matter), we can rely on them to help us put pressure on our employer and even work with us to find win-win solutions beyond what could be achieved in a grievance arbitration. This means spending time together working to understand, and where possible, address each other’s issues. So when the time comes for collective action, we know these groups will have our backs. Like any relationship, it is never a zero sum game– and we can receive much more than we put in. But if there is no water in the well of professional respect and mutual understanding, when we turn on the faucet for help it ends up being dry.
Our fellow professionals at the Express carriers are represented by ALPA, as well as those at Westjet and many others. In the coming months we believe there will be common issues on scope that will enable us to take real action against bad corporate behaviour. Stay tuned for more details…
Hindsight is 20/20
With the ratification of the Covid MOA #2 behind us, it is a good time to reflect on the past six months. Clearly we were able to secure a comparatively improved MOA relative to when the pandemic first started. We believe this shows the strength of an engaged membership, the dedication of our committee volunteers and the effectiveness of a democratic ratification process. In retrospect, perhaps we as an association did not need to commit to the first Covid MOA as quickly as we did, instead taking an approach more like the second time around. Granted, few people fully grasped the far reaching havoc this pandemic would wreak, and with so much out of our control the decision is somewhat understandable.
It should be noted that our industry peers at Delta, United and Southwest took a little more time and negotiated a range of options for leave and early retirement options. Take Delta for example, “Pilots who qualify for early retirement and take the package will get 58 hours of pay per month for 36 months or until age 65, whichever comes earlier. They also qualify for certain medical and travel benefits. Pilots who sign up will retire starting Sept. 1.” Our counterparts in Canada adopted the CEWS (Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy) program, including Jazz, Transat, Sunwing and Westjet. When a furloughed pilot is on CEWS they receive a government subsidized salary and are not penalized for working an extra job- unlike employment insurance. Furthermore in some cases they may continue to accrue years of service and certain employee benefits. Despite the extension of CEWS, Air Canada went ahead with thousands of layoffs mid-summer while continuing to avail themselves of the CEWS program only for active or soon-to-be-recalled employees– a decision widely criticized by Air Canada’s other labour unions. It should also be noted that while our peers at Westjet laid off 450 pilots, approximately 300 of them were able to flow into both Swoop and Encore, protecting their continued employment through established two-way flow-through provisions.
Pilots for Change believes in taking time to fully assess a situation before committing to a course of action. This is what we do in the flight deck when managing a critical situation and our association should function much the same. Two of our core elements are knowledge and community, and it is times like these when the knowledge from industry peers is essential. After all, it is our fellow pilots– as well as the working people who care for our passengers, maintain our fleet, load our cargo and generally keep us flying safely who understand the unique challenges we face as an airline, like no one else can.
Challenge the Status Quo
It is important to know that we have members on the current MEC who align with the core elements of Pilots for Change. Thanks to the tenacity and commitment of those like Cameron Soderberg, André Soucy and Mike Dorey our association has already started to implement improvements for the better. They all have a shared goal in mind; to provide the best representation possible for our entire membership regardless of industry circumstance. Whether you are at the tail end of your career at Air Canada, in the first few years or somewhere in between, our candidates are committed to work hard for you and to elevate our profession. The rising tide lifts all boats and with a unified pilot group, we all rise together.
So let’s keep the momentum going. Say NO to the status quo, and to how our association has performed in the past– and say YES to positive change and hope for the future. Say YES to Pilots for Change!