We urge every member of Unifor Local 531 to refrain from volunteering for wheelchair assistance duty.
In November 2020, WestJet announced that the Guest Service Ambassador (GSA) work at Calgary (YYC) and Edmonton (YEG) airports was outsourced to SAMSIC, a France-based company. WestJet said that SAMSIC was starting to establish their Canadian presence but were leaders in efficient dispatch, tracking, and reporting in the release.
Unifor has always believed that the experts at WestJet are the airport’s staff who were already providing service excellence to the travelling public. Proud WestJetters, who built the company into a thriving international carrier.
The very people who built WestJet were kicked to the curve and replaced by third-party staff from an up-and-coming France-based company.
Now, months into an aviation recovery, demand has returned to airports. SAMSIC, the French-based company, cannot keep up with the workload demands at WestJet’s flagship hub Calgary Airport (YYC).
Yesterday, Colleen Tynan - Vice-President, Airports at WestJet, issued a request for “all WestJetters in or travelling through YYC with an active RAIC sign up to help guests.”
Unifor has begun discussions with the employer on this request and has advised them that we are completely against this approach.
To be clear, last year, the company made a conscious decision to outsource this work, work that would have belonged in this bargaining unit. Earlier this summer, we were aware of service deficiencies with SAMSIC. Now under the guise of “labour shortages,” WestJet wants volunteers to perform this work.
No one wants the customers to be inconvenienced; however, there are consequences when the company chooses to outsource work to the lowest cost denominator. Labour shortages are caused by uncompetitive pay. When workers can easily find other work that pays better and/or has better schedules, most will pursue that. Volunteering to help with wheelchairs, which is non-bargaining unit work, helps WestJet’s outsourcing model succeed. That is not acceptable on any level. The company can rehire GSA’s and have a reliable workforce with decent pay and working conditions.
No one should be participating.
While Unifor is aware of the operational struggles the airline is facing, we call on WestJet to work with Unifor in finding a more substantive long-term solution by bringing this work back in-house from the failed France-based provider.
WestJet should immediately contact laid-off GSA’s to return to their previously trained position at WestJet to support the airline with its current operational demands and continue building forward for its long-term success as employees.
The core of WestJet has always been the frontline staff in airports and skies who pride themselves as WestJetter’s who will go beyond what is required to ensure a fantastic passenger experience.
We encourage WestJet to do what is right for its current and past employees and start the process to bring back all outsourced work to reunite the entire WestJet family to meet the growing demand for airline travel across Canada.
Unifor would like to thank CUPE Local 4070 WestJet Inflight for their Solidarity and support on this matter.
Leslie Dias
Director, Airlines Unifor
[email protected]
416.315.2134
Frances Galambosy
Servicing Department, Unifor
[email protected]
416.497.4110
Billy O’Neill
Organizing Department, Unifor
[email protected]
416.605.1443
If you haven't talked to your coworkers at YYZ and YEG, let them know they can sign a Unifor Membership card today. It is time for them to join you at the bargaining table; they can do this at join.unifor.org/federalcard
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