We want to provide you with a direct update. We are very close to achieving majority support at YEG. Reaching that majority is within sight, but it cannot happen without each of you. Every conversation and every signed card matters at this stage of the campaign.
Intimidation Should Not Silence Workers
Over the past number of weeks, we have heard from many of you that aggressive behaviour from individuals aligned with the AEA and management toward union supporters has had a chilling effect.
That has slowed momentum and silenced some voices. That is unfortunate and it is not how workers should be treated for simply wanting a legally protected voice at work.
The question that must be asked is simple. Whose interests are being served when supporters are pressured or silenced?
The Experience at Other Bases
What is happening at YEG is not unique. When YYC and YVR organized, former AEA representatives played key roles in supporting certification. At YYC, a former AEA representative later served on the union bargaining committee. At YVR, a former representative publicly explained why joining a union was essential to achieving fairness and enforceable protections. The same can be said for YYZ.
Across other bases, former association representatives came to recognize the difference between an informal association and a legally recognized union with enforceable rights under federal labour law.
Discipline and Real Representation
You do not need to take our word for it. Ask your AEA representative how their role differs from that of a certified union representative.
If you are called into a discipline meeting:
Do you know the subject before the meeting begins?
Does your representative meet with you beforehand to prepare?
Do they actively advocate for you or simply witness the meeting?
Can they challenge discipline through a grievance process?
Can they take your case to arbitration?
If you are unjustly terminated, can they pursue a case at the federal labour board?
Are you provided copies of meeting notes for your records?
These are not abstract questions. They go to the core of fair representation. Even if you personally have never needed that level of support, many of your colleagues have. Too often they have faced discipline, restructuring, or uncertainty without the full protections that only a certified union can provide.
Outsourcing and Job Security
The same applies to job security. If decisions are made to outsource work, what legal authority exists today to stop it
Informal assurances are not enforceable. At unionized bases such as YYC, YYZ and YVR, collective agreement language protects job ownership and provides enforceable mechanisms to challenge violations. Those protections exist because workers achieved majority support and secured legally binding agreements.
Momentum Across YEG
Momentum is building across the airport.
Unifor has filed to represent workers performing customer service work for Alaska Airlines and United Airlines at YEG. Unifor already represents Air Canada workers at YEG. Porter workers at YEG are currently talking with Unifor about the benefits of joining.
Thousands of aviation workers across the country have chosen certified union representation because it provides a real voice backed by enforceable rights in law.
The Final Push
We cannot reach majority without you speaking to your colleagues about the advantages of union representation. Do not allow intimidation to silence your voice.
We are close. With continued engagement and outreach, we can achieve majority support and secure the protections YEG workers deserve.
