What a Week
THE ELECTION SLATE
LEC Base Chair Candidate Endorsement
Our grassroots movement has come a long way since our first discussions began almost half a year ago. We asked ourselves how we could make positive change. The upcoming elections were a clear opportunity for us to share our message while participating in our Association's democratic process. As our circle started to grow we engaged with a number of current MEC members, senior pilots (including ACPA founders and former CALPA reps) to gauge their reactions to our core elements, and help us refine our thoughts on change. A mutual relationship of solidarity and trust quickly grew amongst our P4C organizers, built on our common desire to offer a unified vision for our pilot group.
In the midst of the Covid MOA #2 voting window, the nominations for the LEC Base Chair positions was closed and the Candidates were announced. As such, Pilots for Change is excited to announce our candidate endorsements for the LEC Base Chair positions. Selecting candidates to endorse took months of thoughtful conversations with potential nominees we felt aligned with our core elements of culture, knowledge, engagement, accountability, community and professional pride. We acknowledge that many of the long-serving incumbents also share many of these values. However, our caucus felt that now is the time to see the next wave of pilot leaders step into these important roles, leading their bases past the current pandemic into what we all hope is a strong recovery.
The first win for P4C came as nominations closed and we want to congratulate Mike Dorey who has been acclaimed to the YYZ LEC Base Chair position. While he is a relative newcomer to ACPA work, Mike is well known for tirelessly representing the YYZ based pilots for the last three years and we are pleased to see he has stepped up once again for another three year term. In our discussions with Mike it became clear many of his goals for our Association are aligned with the goals of Pilots For Change. We both want to see a unified pilot group pulling in the same direction in order to see tangible, real-world results. Mike has shown time and time again throughout the years that he is a tenacious advocate for our pilots and has consistently worked to ensure that they have the best representation possible. Thank you, Mike for being willing to have an open dialogue with Pilots for Change. We are happy to endorse you for the YYZ LEC Base Chair position.
In Montreal André Soucy shares our vision of positive change for all Air Canada pilots, especially those who call the YUL base home. André has served on the MEC as a Nationally Elected Member (NEM) for the last 2 years and has proven himself to be an effective advocate for our pilot group. Now, André is ready to dig in even deeper and serve as the YUL LEC Base Chair. André has considerable experience both as an ACPA volunteer, and as a Nationally Elected Member, while also providing a fresh perspective on the direction our association needs to take, from the unique Montréal perspective. André shares our core values and supports our positions on key issues, as such, we are throwing our full support behind him. Importantly, in the event of a merger between Air Canada and Air Transat, André has affirmed that his top priority is to strongly advocate for YUL based pilots, to learn from past merger successes and mistakes, and work towards the best possible outcome for all Air Canada pilots. Clearly, a potential seniority integration would be extremely contentious, particularly during this drastic period of economic downturn. Pilots for Change fully appreciates the significant uncertainty around this issue, particularly for YUL based pilots. It is our duty as an Association to ensure that our Air Canada pilots are protected to the utmost extent. We know that André has the energy and dedication to work through all the issues on behalf of the YUL base if indeed the Transat merger becomes a reality.
In Vancouver, we support Cameron Soderberg who is also a current member of the MEC serving his first term as a Nationally Elected Member (NEM). Cam’s ACPA experience includes serving as Chair of the Jumpseat Committee, External Affairs Committee, member of the OHS Committee and LEC Councillor. Like André, Cam is highly energized and motivated to be the change that we seek within our Association. Cam’s thoughtful, deliberate and persistent demeanour on the current MEC has earned him a reputation as a strong advocate for the line pilot. It is time to keep the momentum rolling and elect Cam into the YVR LEC Base Chair position. While leading an LEC entails new responsibilities and a particular focus on YVR representational issues, we know Cam is up for the challenge. If elected, we know Cam is intent on working with the current YVR LEC, YVR Vice-Chair, the incumbent Chair and ACPA’s professional staff so YVR pilots can expect a smooth transition.
Rob Bergeron is the fresh face in this election landscape and is running for the YWG LEC Base Chair position. With his experience as a union organizer and MEC Vice Chair at WestJet Encore he understands the value of protecting the profession and striving to do the best that we can for our fellow pilots. In addition to being a great communicator Rob has shown himself to be a steady voice of reason within Pilots for Change. Talk to Rob for five minutes and his cheerful, no-nonsense and down-to-earth approach will win you over. Therefore, we are happy to endorse his candidacy to represent the pilots of his hometown of Winnipeg. Rob is ready to take our Association to the next level alongside Mike, André and Cam.
Thank you to all of the candidates for putting their names forward in this election. It takes a great deal of commitment and requires a courageous individual to put their hand up - especially in such trying and demanding times. We are grateful to all of you for your willingness to serve and are looking forward to an exciting election campaign going forward!
This is your Association, so if you have any questions for these candidates please be sure to reach out to them. Their election literature will be posted on the ACPA website next week, and will be available on Pilots for Change, so please keep an eye out.
COVID M0A #2
Pilots for change would like to extend our recognition to the MEC for the second webinar on the Covid MOA #2, which took place on Wednesday. This session was both informative and helpful. Two of our core elements are knowledge and engagement. We believe this webinar exemplified those elements, as we believe a well educated pilot group is essential for a high functioning, democratic union. It was important for us to hear directly from each of the hard working and knowledgeable volunteers who worked towards negotiating this MOA, as well as the careful analysis from our scope committee. It was also critical for all of us to hear them answer questions directly from the membership. Thank you to everyone who worked to make sure this webinar came together as quickly as possible. Please commit to informing yourself fully before you decide, and remember the vote closes on Monday. For those who still haven’t yet decided on this MOA, we encourage you to reach out directly to your elected representatives, including those on the P4C slate!
Thank You
On a final note, thank you as always for taking the time to read our newsletter. Your continued interest in Pilots for Change is greatly appreciated, and we welcome any feedback you may have for us. Please fill out the form listed on the bottom of our website – this is a grassroots movement for all of the Air Canada pilots and we want to hear from you! We are not all going to agree on everything 100% of the time - just like some people want pineapple on their pizza and others don’t but in the end most do like pizza. We are all proud Air Canada pilots who want the best for our entire pilot group and for our careers. Let’s keep unity at the forefront and stay open to meaningful conversations about our Profession and how we can improve it now and going forward.
As always we want to extend a special thanks to all our supporters who have allowed their names to stand with the organizers of our movement, and who display our logo on their clipboards and flight bags. Regardless of where the P4C movement takes us, we cannot travel alone– so again we thank you!
In Unity,
P4C