It’s Survey Time…

Welcome

Welcome all of our new subscribers to the Pilots for Change newsletter!  Since we relaunched the main page of our website many have signed up for our mailing list.  We are excited you have subscribed and made the decision to stay engaged in the future of our profession.  This is very fitting since engagement is one of our core elements of change.  Having an informed and active pilot group is essential for creating unbreakable solidarity as we move forward out of this crisis moment in our industry.  If you want to play catch up and read back issues of our newsletter they are archived on our website.  

Survey

Staying true to our core element of engagement, today, we are launching our first survey!  We would greatly appreciate you taking the time to fill out this quick 10-minute survey.  This survey will help us gauge the support we have for our movement.  Most importantly, it will help us to get to know you better, the very pilots we are aiming to represent as we continue to win elected ACPA representative positions.  

Below is the link to the survey:

https://forms.gle/RFxUvxaJAmYbMxib7

Please pass this link onto your fellow colleagues and help us get the word out about Pilots for Change!  This survey is a great way to introduce people to our grassroots movement and the need for change within our union.   

Another one of our core elements is accountability. We’ll be publishing the results of the survey shortly after it closes - accountability and transparency go hand in hand. 

The survey will run for 4 weeks and the information you provide will be held in confidence. We’ll present an overview of the responses we receive without tying them to anyone specifically.  There is a requirement to enter your email address when filling out the survey, to allow us to limit any false or duplicate responses, however only those who select to receive email updates from Pilots for Change will receive future communications.   

This is the first survey in a series of surveys. As we aim to win during the election season this fall and more of our supporters are placed into elected positions, we intend to stay fully connected to our line pilots and will ask to hear from you on a regular basis. Our union is every single pilot that flies or has flown under our association banner. We want to hear from as many active, furloughed and retired pilots as possible. The more survey engagement we get, the better we will be able to represent you!

Busier Days Ahead

Our colleagues south of the border are learning that their return to regular operations has been all but ‘regular’.  When IROPS become the norm, professional airline pilots need to use all the tools in their flight bags to ensure a safe operation.  In 2021 we face a unique challenge as we begin to operate, for the first time for some, under a new set of Flight and Duty Regulations.  Our professional pride must direct us to become experts on these new rules to ensure we don’t fall victim to generous interpretations or to being misled by parties with commercial interests.

Fatigue

Some flights which were previously augmented during covid times are no longer being augmented.  Once again, we are one of the few airlines in North America operating long flights across the Atlantic with only two crew, particularly at night.  

As flying returns and we get busier, it is a good time to remind all our readers to follow our collective agreement, and file fatigue reports as appropriate - especially if you find a pairing onerous. 

Section 7.16 of our collective agreement about onerous pairings is below.  The Fatigue Safety Action Group (FSAG) is a joint committee (comprised of association and company representatives) with the responsibility of coordinating all fatigue risk management activities for the flight operations department.  

7.16 Onerous Pairing Resolution Procedure FSAG will evaluate and, where necessary, alter any pairing(s) considered onerous by the operating crew(s).

Procedure:

When a crew operates a pairing they consider to be onerous they will file a fatigue report on the application determined by the Company related to the onerous pairing.

FSAG will convene a meeting and address the fatigue report within 10 calendar days of receipt.

A pairing which is deemed by FSAG to be onerous will be returned to Crew Scheduling for immediate rectification, and any change to a crew member’s schedule resulting from this rectification will be covered under pay protection.

If due to time or flight crew constraints the pairing cannot be changed it will be flown for a maximum of one full Block Period. The System Pairing Analyst will be advised to alter the pairing for the following Block Period.

A pairing which is deemed by FSAG not to be onerous will remain active and the crew will be so advised. The crew will be given the option of an appeal before FSAG.

Based on the guidelines, reference material or any additional material agreed to by the Committee and with due recognition of Flight Safety and the continuing need for pairing efficiency, agreement within FSAG will not be unreasonably withheld.

 Please note the use of the word ‘onerous’ in our collective agreement.  As there is no ‘onerous’ box to check off on a fatigue report, the way to communicate an onerous pairing is by including that specific term in the narrative.  If a pairing is reported as onerous, it demands the action of a meeting within 10 days.  If FSAG decides that the reported pairing is onerous, it is removed, whereas a Fatigue Report that did not specify a pairing as onerous may not trigger any action and might only be monitored for trending. 

 It is our professional and legal obligation to decline a duty if you are not ‘fit for duty’, or anticipate not being ‘fit for duty’.   Fit for duty means your ability is not impaired by fatigue.  

 Also for your reference, the relevant Transport Canada regulation and ICAO definition of fatigue are listed below:

Canada Gazette, Part II, Vol. 152, No. 25

Section 602.02 of the Regulations is replaced by the following:

602.02 An operator of an aircraft shall not require any person to act as a flight crew member or to carry out a preflight duty, and a person shall not act as a flight crew member or carry out that duty, if the operator or the person has reason to believe that the person is not, or is not likely to be fit for duty.

 ICAO SAFETY Flight Operations

Fatigue is defined as a physiological state of reduced mental or physical performance capability resulting from sleep loss or extended wakefulness, circadian phase, or workload (mental and/or physical activity) that can impair a crew member’s alertness and ability to safely operate an aircraft or perform safety-related duties.

Report, Report, Report…

A great way for Pilots to uphold professional standards and to contribute to the safe operation of all flights in our system is to file reports to ensure the company and the union are aware of any issues you see on the line. 

Although any form of communication, such as a face-to-face discussion or a scribble on a napkin, can be considered a ‘report’ in our SMS system, the realities of the 21st century call for electronic submission.  Like it or not, our integrated Safety Management System is data-driven, and our commitment to safety obligates us to participate in it.  Once an issue is documented, protocols are to be followed which will include a response to the submitter (be aware that the response is not copied to your flight safety representatives).   Our safety reporting system is non-punitive.  More details can be found under section 2.5 of the FOM.  

The moral of this story is, when you have a concern on the line, file the appropriate report and select the box to copy your flight safety department.  Not only will this assist in resolving the issue for yourself, but it will also flag the issue for our Association and help your fellow pilots who may be having the same problem.  We are all in this together, and if nothing is reported it is assumed that everything is operating just fine.  If you have questions about reporting, or should be unsatisfied with a response you’ve received, contact your Flight Safety Representative, Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Representative or LEC Base Chair representative.

Another Sneak Peak…

As stated in our last newsletter, Pilots for Change has been hard at work over the last few months.   Along with the survey, we have also been working on some presentations in an effort to provide a comprehensive picture of what our value as professional pilots truly is.  

Below is another sneak peak of what we have been working on. 

This slide depicts how the mentality of “capturing the flying and fixing it later” is not an effective long term negotiations strategy.  

During election season this fall we will be releasing more educational slides so please stay tuned for that! 

Till next time

Thank you for signing up for this newsletter.  We do not take your time or attention for granted and we hope you find value in the information we are providing.  Let your fellow colleagues know about us and encourage them to sign up for our newsletter and fill out our survey! 

Please provide us with any feedback you may have on our website and once again - Thank you for staying engaged in our profession.  

This is your union and your voice should matter.