Local 531 - Bargaining Committee Update
Coming off the winter break, we want to acknowledge and thank everyone for working long hours, past your end times, and into early hours of the morning. We all know how challenging the operation was, week after week, and we want to thank you for your dedication and professionalism. During our Collective Agreement Bargaining, we are putting in the work to ensure proper staffing levels are maintained during the busiest seasons and to alleviate the stress put on our members.
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
Over the past 8 weeks, we have seen over 200 new WestJetters join our teams. We recognize that most of you came on during one of the hardest times in the operation, so congratulations to you for making it out on the other side. We hope you are settling in and please do not hesitate to contact any of your Bargaining Committee Members if you have questions. Our personal contact information is at the bottom of this communication.
We are aware of a gap in communication when employees are hired and (not) receiving union information. Our CBA will have language that covers this but, in the meantime, we are working with the Company and local leadership teams to ensure this is resolved and something is put into place in the meantime. In the next couple of weeks, watch for your Bargaining Committee Members putting up information in the lunchrooms and being available on the floor for discussions.
As a reminder, the following positions are unionized within Unifor and will be covered by the Collective Agreement once it is ratified:
- Baggage Service Agents
- Customer Service Agents
- Priority Service Agents
- Guest Service Leads
- IROP Coordinators
- Daily Duty Coordinators
- Workforce
- Airport Learning Coordinator
- Quality Advisor – Ramp and Baggage
LOCAL 531 – BUILDING FROM THE GROUND UP
A local union is a branch or chapter of a larger national union. Local branches are organized to represent the union's members from a particular geographic area, company, or business sector. Local unions have their own governing bodies which represent the interests of the national union while at the same time responding to the desires of their constituents and organizing regular meetings for members. Within Unifor, locals are numbered – we are local 531, representing the number of workers we certified with back in May 2021.
When your bargaining committee isn’t in negotiations, we are working on developing our Local. Usually, when an employee group certifies, they would join an already established Local. However, Local 531 is building our own! Over the next couple of months, we will be developing our bylaws, determining what positions will be available for election and how you can get involved.
WHAT YOUR UNIFOR LOCAL CAN DO FOR YOU
- Address workplace issues or problems and deal with grievances
- Ensure your rights are upheld and protected
- Enforce the Collective Agreement
- Advance safety in the workplace and to stop or prevent discrimination and harassment
- Act as your representative to the employer
- Educate you about your rights and your union
- Provide opportunities to get involved in building the union
- Negotiate a new Collective Agreement to ensure your wages, benefits and rights are strengthened
BARGAINING UPDATE
After the Christmas Holidays, we joined the company in Bargaining during the weeks of January 17th and 24th; weeks 7 and 8 of negotiations. The last two weeks have been productive in completing some of the articles that we have been negotiating for weeks. We will be in YYC back to the bargaining table on February 7th. We feel that we are moving at a steady pace, but we are not interested in rushing things just to get it done. Our goal is to provide our members with a robust collective agreement that addresses the vast concerns and issues we have been having in our workplaces. At this time, we have dates booked into June and will continue to fight for a fair collective agreement.
Together, We Fly
Local 531 Bargaining Committee
As always, if you need support in the workplace or have any questions for us, here's how you can reach us:
YVR
Karen Berry
705.828.7795
[email protected]
Mark Enns
778.552.2344
[email protected]
Breanne Laihow
778.887.6156
[email protected]
YYC
Sherwin Antonio
403.660.7154
[email protected]
Sandeep Samrai
403.608.9392
[email protected]
Jamie Mote
403.606.0464
[email protected]
Lindsay Landry
403.850.4748
[email protected]
If you have friends that work at YYZ and YEG who have not yet signed a Unifor membership card, let them know that they can do this at join.unifor.org/federalcard
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