You can volunteer to reduce your hours, but we may not actually reduce them.
And don’t worry we’ve “uncoupled benefits”, so they won’t be affected, except we might (and its likely) that we’ll reduce them in the future.

This is WestJet’s message in a recent communication to employees that outlines the new rules for allowing part-time employees to reduce their hours from 25 to 20 hours per week. The memo starts with, “WestJet is now able to better adapt to the needs of our business and respond to the requests from our WestJetters…” But, if you do need to reduce your hours and volunteer for this reduction, Westjet reminds part-time workers that they, “may still be bidding and/or awarded lines with greater than 20 hours as dictated by operational demand.” What are you volunteering for exactly? A chance at reducing your hours? Because if WestJet needs to, you will be working more.

Well at least your benefits are protected. The memo says, “This permanent change will not impact a WestJetters 2019/2020 benefits.”

Well that sounds like it might be worth it. Keeping those flight passes and your health benefits, and maybe the possibility of working fewer hours, but then WestJet takes it all away with the next sentence, “However, WestJet reserves the right to review benefits at each re-enrollment and your benefits allotment could change to more closely match your hours of work during the next benefits cycle.”

So WestJet is already considering lowering my benefits if I ‘volunteer’ for this amazing opportunity. This is not surprising. Companies are always looking for flexibility from their workforce and that means, you get less predictability in your scheduling and compensation package.

And didn’t they just reduce the benefits? Nobody volunteered for that. They just did it.

So why would WestJet go to all this trouble to reduce your hours and benefits and make it look like you volunteered for it. Maybe they were hoping you won’t read the fine print.

With a union, the company would have to negotiate these changes with your elected leaders, and your priorities would be front and centre. A Unifor Collective Agreement will provide clear and concise language about benefits and other working conditions that are important to you.
Also, a signed contract brings stability to your workplace as collective agreements have set terms for a set period of time.

Joining a union means that you have some control in future of your working conditions. And WestJet ends with, “As our business continues to change we will continue to evaluate opportunities that bring balance to our business and our frontline teams.” That means more changes are coming. Sign a Unifor card, encourage your co-workers to sign a card, and get a seat at the table.

Contact us! Talk to our organizing representatives! All calls are confidential.

Ontario
Billy O'Neill, Unifor
[email protected] | 416-605-1443

Quebec
Ada Zampini, Unifor
[email protected] | 514-701-6227

Prairies
Bruce Fafard, Unifor
[email protected] | 587-341-0945

British Columbia
Simon Lau, Unifor
[email protected] | 778-928-9630

Atlantic
Patrick Murray, Unifor
[email protected] | 506-850-7996