Unifor membership cards are returning to our office at an astonishing rate! You and your coworkers are making a difference as you continue to prove that a union contract is the only way to bring fairness and respect to your workplace.

Unifor collective agreements have language that speaks directly to your rights to return to your job if layoffs take place. These agreements often include language that requires your employer to recall you back to your job for 60 months (five years); the workers we represent at Air Canada have recall rights of a minimum 60 months or years of service, whatever is greater. That means if you have 13 years of service you have 13 years of recall rights. It’s only fair that the company you have helped build brings you back before they hire someone from the street making less money.

It has become apparent that the internal associations at WestJet have failed to protect your rights and failed to make any significant gains towards addressing your immediate concerns of increased recall language.

Just last week we saw a letter from the AEA base chair in YVR being sent to AEA Chair, Brad Cherrington concerned about “radio silence” from the AEA while workers wonder about their future with the company they built. There are good people in some of these roles as AEA base chairs across the country who are trying to do the right thing in a broken system. It is apparent that WestJet’s internal associations are just not up to the job. Those who remain are left looking for leadership from the association, yet they hear nothing.

WestJetters across the country have decided they can no longer leave their fate with WestJet in the hands of an association that isn’t listening to them. They have mobilized, talking, texting and outreaching to each other across bases and the country. They have gathered through the use of social media platforms such at Facebook’s Unifor in Teal group. They have weekly Zoom meetings that help them to set their new direction on becoming members of Unifor.

If you have not been in touch with some of your coworkers in recent days and thought that it might be too late to join the union, we encourage you to reach out to them or us at Unifor.

Now is the time to continue with your mobilization. You can join Unifor by clicking the Join Unifor button above. Please also share this email with other WestJetters who might be interested in joining.

If you have any questions, please contact one of your Organizers.

All calls are confidential.

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