We are now in the final stretch. Voting closes Friday, September 18 at 9:00 a.m. MT, with less than two days left to make your voice heard.

If you have not voted yet, please take a few minutes and cast your ballot. If you have already voted, thank you.

Over the last several months, you have heard a lot about what joining Unifor could mean. As we enter the final stretch, we want to bring it back to something simple: this vote is about what you want your future at WestJet to look like.

Unifor has extensive experience representing workers across Canada's aviation, telecommunications and other federally regulated industries. Our members use collective bargaining to address wages, benefits, scheduling, job security, technological change, contracting out and workplace rights.

We've also seen collective bargaining at work right here at WestJet. Your colleagues in the Airports group chose Unifor, negotiated their first collective agreement without a strike and are now preparing to negotiate their second agreement.

Choosing Unifor isn't about throwing away the things you already like about working at WestJet.

You start with what you have. You identify what you want to keep. You identify what needs to improve. Then you negotiate.

The latest CCEA email highlights programs that workers may value. Some of these programs are supported through employer benefits or outside sponsorship, including sponsorship identified in the CCEA's own communication. The objective of collective bargaining isn't to eliminate good programs. Workers can identify the things they value and seek to maintain, protect or improve them through bargaining.

And remember, the WestJet Airports collective agreement does not become your agreement. Contact Centre workers would determine your own priorities and negotiate an agreement that reflects your work.

Questions We've Been Hearing

What about scheduling? Can we negotiate more predictable start times?

Yes. Scheduling is a common subject of collective bargaining.

We've heard concerns about staggered start times in the Contact Centre. You could start at 7:15 one day, 7:30 the next, 8:15 another day and 6:45 the following day. That kind of variation can make it difficult to establish a routine, manage sleep, arrange childcare and simply plan your life.

WestJet Airport workers have already negotiated scheduling provisions into their collective agreement. One example is an Employee Schedule Review Committee, which gives workers, through their union representatives, a formal process to raise and review scheduling concerns with the employer. Their agreement also contains provisions around consecutive days off and other scheduling protections.

That doesn't mean the Airports scheduling language would simply be applied to the Contact Centre. Your operation and scheduling needs are different. It does show what collective bargaining can provide: a formal mechanism for workers to have a voice when schedules are developed and when scheduling problems arise.

Contact Centre workers would decide what greater predictability, flexibility and fairness in scheduling should look like for you and bring those priorities to the bargaining table.

What can a union actually do about outsourcing?

A lot. This has been one of the biggest concerns we've heard from Contact Centre workers.

No union can promise that an employer will never propose changes. What workers can do through collective bargaining is negotiate job security, scope-of-work and contracting-out protections.

We've already seen that at WestJet. When Airport workers negotiated their first agreement with Unifor, contracting out and protecting bargaining-unit work were addressed right away in that first collective agreement.

Your agreement would need to address the realities of Contact Centre work, but the Airports experience shows that outsourcing can be put on the bargaining table rather than workers simply watching decisions happen.

For Contact Centre workers, that means having the opportunity to negotiate protections around who performs your work, where that work is performed and what happens when WestJet considers moving work outside the bargaining unit.

Will we lose term positions if we vote for Unifor?

No. Unionized workplaces can and do have term positions.

The concern we raised wasn't about eliminating term positions. It was about employees successfully working in term roles for extended periods and then potentially being returned to their previous classification, sometimes with a significant wage reduction.

Where there is ongoing work and a permanent opportunity, workers may want a fair process to secure those positions. How term assignments, permanent vacancies and job postings work would be something you can address through bargaining.

Nothing about voting for Unifor automatically sends someone currently working in Quality or another term assignment back to their previous position.

Will we automatically get the same collective agreement as WestJet Airports?

No. We have shared examples from the Airports agreement because they demonstrate what collective bargaining can accomplish at WestJet. They are examples, not a template that automatically applies to you.

Contact Centre workers would establish your own bargaining priorities and negotiate your own first collective agreement.

Can we keep the things we already like?

Yes. Collective bargaining starts from the workplace you have today. Workers identify what they want to keep, protect and improve.

That could include benefits, premiums, vacation, flexibility, work-from-home arrangements, scheduling practices, programs or other working conditions that people value.

You don't go into bargaining looking for ways to make your workplace worse. You go into bargaining with priorities established by the membership and negotiate with the goal of making it better and more secure.

Who decides what Unifor asks for in bargaining?

You do. Contact Centre members identify their priorities, elect workplace representatives and a bargaining committee, and participate in developing bargaining proposals.

Ultimately, members vote on whether to accept their first collective agreement.

Does voting for Unifor mean we're going on strike?

No. A strike does not automatically follow unionization. The objective is to negotiate a first collective agreement.

WestJet Airport workers negotiated their first agreement with Unifor without going on strike. They are now preparing for their second round of bargaining.

You have worked incredibly hard to get to this point.

Voting closes Friday, September 18 at 9:00 a.m. MT. If you haven't voted, please don't leave it until the last minute.

If you have not received your voting credentials, call the Board Officer at 343-549-9128 and leave a message with your name, phone number and personal email address.

Your workplace. Your voice. Your union. Your vote.