Bargaining Committee Elections
I want to thank those who have put their name forward or been nominated by a coworker for the Unifor Bargaining Committee election.
There has been tremendous interest from the membership to be active in the union, and I am pleased to announce the list of candidates. All candidates have been invited to submit a message to go along with their name.
Your list of candidates are:
YVR:
As there were two positions and two candidates for YVR there will be no election.
Congratulations to Karen and Mark as your Unifor Local 531 YVR Bargaining Committee Members.
Karen Berry - Acclaimed
Thank you for the nomination to represent WestJet YVR on the local 531 bargaining committee. I am grateful for this opportunity to represent my coworkers and look forward to hearing from you through the bargaining process. I am thankful to be a part of our first collective agreement and am excited to have this opportunity to come together to achieve many common goals.
Karen.
Mark Ens - Acclaimed
To start I wanted to thank everyone who worked so tirelessly to make this certification a reality. A hard-working group was dedicated to piles of hours of texting calling and chatting with the entire base. This team can do anything when its mind is made up! Also a special Thank-you to the person or people who nominated me to be part of the negotiating committee. I’ll do my best to bring your thoughts and concerns to the table to ensure we achieve a fair agreement.
Mark Enns
Breanne Laihow - Declined Nomination
YYC:
Bev Paulohouse - Accepted Nomination
I appreciate the opportunity to be considered for a position as a Bargaining Committee Representative. I have gained valuable experience in my various roles at WestJet which have included being a Super Sales Agent in the Call Centre, a Customer Service Agent and currently a Baggage Service Agent. This collective experience has made me aware of various needs within and I’d love to represent my fellow coworkers as we address challenges moving forward.
Bev Paulhus BSA YYC
Sherwin Antonio - Accepted Nomination
My 15 years of experience at WestJet, has been an absolute privilege. Starting as a CSA to my current role as a GSL of Baggage, my experience has provided me with the foundations and knowledge to represent you to the bargaining team as a representative embodying WestJets values. I will take on this responsibility with passion towards building a fair and respectful work community.
Thank you
Sherwin Antonio
Patricia Collins - Accepted Nomination
I believe in fairness, transparency, integrity at the highest level & that employees should always have a say. I know personally the importance of every position Local 531 will represent & I would be happy to represent your best interests as a member of your bargaining committee.
I have 20 years of experience in professional negotiations & legal contracts.
Linda Demott - Declined Nomination
It was an honour to have been nominated for the upcoming bargaining committee, however, I could not accept the nomination because of my other obligations. Please pass on my sincere appreciation to the person who nominated me.
I look forward to learning more about the proceedings, and where I might find an opportunity in the future.
Sincerely,
Linda DeMott
Darylann HIll - Accepted Nomination
I would like to be elected to the bargaining committee because I genuinely care for my fellow coworkers and want to be a voice for them. I want to be a part of the committee to help bring forward positivity, along with helping to make sure the needs and wants of all agents are heard. I am grateful for this opportunity.
Thank you kindly.
Darylann
Lindsay Landry - Accepted Nomination
I am a 13-year respected employee here at WestJet. I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to our future in a positive way. If elected, I will dedicate myself to ensure that we as a committee fight for the best working conditions, and benefits for our agents.
Thank you for your support!
Lindsay
Jamie Mote - Accepted Nomination
Thank you to those who nominated me for the Local 531 Bargaining Committee. It would be an honour to serve my fellow WestJetters in this role. I bring more than 20 years of airline experience to the table. I have had many different roles in various departments within WestJet and I’ve also supported my fellow WestJetters as an AEA representative. I’m well respected by management and would work hard to negotiate the best agreement on your behalf
Sandeep Samrai - Accepted Nomination
I am honoured to be nominated to represent the YYC team. With my years of experience and knowledge as a CSA, I feel I can confidently represent the needs of our front line teams. Many of you utilize my knowledge, daily, and know I am always available to assist you. I would like to remind everyone, although some of you were less receptive to the direction the majority voted on, it is important to participate in discussions and voting in elections. I wish my fellow nominees the best of luck and look forward to working with you, whether on the final bargaining committee or in YYC.
Thank you.
Sandeep
Kerri Somerville - Accepted Nomination
My reason for accepting the nomination is that I would like to be a voice for those of us who have been with WestJet for about five years or less. We are the future of the company and need to be set up for a solid future.
Thanks
Kerrie Somerville
Rebecca Stobbe - Declined Nomination
Christine Vernet - Accepted Nomination
I am thankful for being nominated and I am sure with the selection of nominees, whoever is chosen will be an asset to the bargaining committee. Wishing everyone good luck!
Cheers,
Christine Vernet
YYC BSA
Sheena Hazime - Accepted Nomination
I believe a union is about taking care of the people involved. I want to commit my time to ensure people are heard and treated fairly.
Previously, my experience as an AEA rep allows me to understand the approach of professionalism along with compassion to employee relations.
I vow to work with the union and WestJet, to ensure my colleagues and I are treated fairly.
I believe culture is extremely important and will continue to work towards rebuilding the original WestJet.
Thanks,
Sheena Hazime
Brenda Goodbody - Accepted Nomination
I appreciate the opportunity to be a member of the first Bargaining Committee for YYC employees. Over my 14 years of experience at WestJet, I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of positions including CSA, GSA, Business Analyst, Customer Care Desk, Reservation Support Desk, and Guest Solutions. This has given me a broad perspective of how other departments are able to accommodate many of the issues we experience in YYC.
My top three priorities for YYC are scheduling, pay, and benefits.
Seniority scheduling was recently voted in and I have no intention of changing that, but I believe we can still do a much better job in creating schedules that provide our agents with better work/life balance, guarantee RDOs, and ensure schedules are released in a timely manner so agents can plan their lives. I believe that a person should not have to build their lives around a part-time job that offers little flexibility and no guarantee of days requested off being granted. Some of my ideas will require an investment in improved technology on WestJet’s part, and some will simply require them to be open-minded and willing to do things differently which will contribute to a happier workforce, improved productivity and morale, and a high return on their investment with potentially a need for fewer new hires. Apart from the implementation of seniority scheduling, our scheduling practices have not changed drastically in over ten years, despite the significant changes to our operation. I believe with utmost confidence we can do better for the operation and our people.
Last year at the beginning of the pandemic part-time employees lost critical components of our health benefits plan. I am committed to doing everything I can to have these components returned to us. Our total compensation package is based on numerous factors including our benefit package, and to remove these components in addition to the WSP (which is being reinstated in September, if you are not aware) at the beginning of a worldwide global pandemic was unacceptable.
My third focus is on compensation which is a hot topic and a priority for I’m sure every candidate before you. We recently saw the Inflight group receive an increase in their hourly pay and per diems. Customer Service Agents have been at a pay top out after seven years of service for many years. Our ongoing commitment to the company, knowledge and expertise, the skills we continue to develop and bring forth, our constant willingness to rise to challenges, pivot in our policies and guest promises…all of these are deserving of increased compensation as our positions become more complex and involved.
My commitment is to work as hard as possible to ensure all agents are set up to remain and succeed in their roles and receive the appropriate compensation and work/life balance for doing so. My hope is that in this process, relationships with management will improve, management will acknowledge employee talent, and YYC will be the “hub of desire” for WestJetters.
On a personal note, I live in Chestermere with my new Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Kevyn (a girl), my Snow Bengal kitten, Kaya, and my gentle old pig, Jillian. I am in the final semester of my Honours Degree in Psychology and will be applying to a PhD program in Clinical Psychology this fall. My goal is to be a Registered Psychologist specializing in grief, trauma, and loss using experiential therapies. At present, I am a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist and conduct group and one-on-one grief workshops in my spare time, along with running my home-based dog grooming business while training Kevyn in dog sports and to be a psychiatric service dog.
Thank you again for the opportunity to stand before you and affect positive change for all of us as individuals which will in turn benefit WestJet as a move toward recovery and sustained growth.
Brenda
Voting Details and Instructions for YYC
Elections for your bargaining committee will begin on Thursday, June 24, at 6:00 am MT and close on Monday, June 28, 2021, at 6:00 am MT.
You will vote by secret ballot online vote and select three candidates from the nominated candidate's list. The three candidates receiving the most votes will form your bargaining committee, with the candidate finishing with the fourth most votes will fill the alternate role.
The electronic vote is conducted through a secure provider, Simply Voting.
Voter information will be sent prior to the polls opening to members in YYC.
Billy O’Neill
Unifor National Representative Organizing
416.605.1443
[email protected]
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