Over the past few days, we have heard reports that some workers are being approached by AEA representatives and asked who is behind communications or discussions about unionizing. We also understand that some of these discussions have been described using inflammatory language.

Workers Rights and Confidentiality

Workers have the right to talk with each other about workplace issues, representation, and unionizing. Those conversations are protected. No one should feel pressured to identify coworkers or explain private conversations. If you are approached in a way that makes you uncomfortable, you are not required to engage and have the right to report the behavior to WestJet management or Unifor.

Whose Interests Is the AEA Really Serving

It is reasonable for workers to ask a simple question. Who benefits when the conversation shifts away from job protection and towards identifying coworkers or policing what people are saying.

The AEA exists by the employer’s design and operates within rules set by the employer. Its representatives hold roles that depend on the employer’s continued approval. That structure makes it difficult for any internal association to stand independently when it matters most.

Workers should judge any representation model by results. When major decisions were made in the past, including outsourcing and job losses, the AEA had no enforceable power to prevent it and no legal mechanism to hold the employer accountable.

What the AEA Is and Is Not

The AEA is not a union. It does not have a legally enforceable collective agreement. It does not have the legal standing to hold WestJet or Onex WestJet accountable if the company later changes direction.

What Happened Last Time

When WestJet moved to outsource Tier 2 and Tier 3 airport work as well as Guest Service Ambassador (GSA) roles , workers across Canada were told by the AEA their jobs were safe. GSA workers in Edmonton were given reassurances by the AEA and by management. Those reassurances did not protect 3333 workers when outsourcing and cuts were announced. When the decisions were made, the AEA had no enforceable mechanism to stop it, reverse it, or secure protections for affected WestJetters.

Reassurance Versus Enforceable Rights

Even if AEA representatives believe what they are being told right now, if the employer later changes its mind, workers have nothing enforceable to rely on.

Only a union with a legally binding collective agreement can create enforceable job protections. A collective agreement can include negotiated limits on contracting out, clear job security language, and a grievance and arbitration process that holds the employer to account. That is the difference between reassurance and rights.

Uncertainty Is Real

No one can predict what Onex WestJet will do next. What we do know is that Onex bought WestJet with the intention of selling it, and the company has a track record of making major workforce decisions when it suits their business strategy. When employers say everything is on the table, workers are right to ask what that could mean for their jobs.

The Track Record of Internal Associations

Internal associations exist at the whim of the employer. They are not independent. They do not have legal authority. When outsourcing happened in the past and when management assurances proved false, internal associations did not stop it and could not enforce protections.

Why Workers Organize

The AEA has no legally enforceable ability to hold Onex WestJet accountable. It did not protect WestJetters the last time major outsourcing and cuts were announced, and it cannot provide enforceable protection now.

This is why workers organize. Not because anyone can predict the future with certainty, but because workers deserve enforceable rights if the employer changes course.

Billy O'Neill
Unifor National Representative, Organizing
416.605.1443
billy.oneill@unifor.org

Lucy Alessio
Unifor National Coordinator, Organizing
416.998.3189
lucy.alessio@unifor.org