TO ALL IAMAW MEMBERS
EMPLOYED BY
AIR CANADA
LOW COST CARRIER
OFF THE RECORD “NEGOTIATIONS”
SEPTEMBER 21 TO OCTOBER 16, 2015
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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Representatives from the IAMAW Grand Lodge, Transportation District 140, the Transportation District 140 Low Cost Carrier Committee and our legal counsel met with Air Canada Representatives and Mediator Vince Ready in YYZ on September 2 and 3, 2015.
The parties have now agreed to bring our Negotiating Committee into the discussions and to engage in off the record Negotiations in a “Collective Bargaining setting”. To be clear, we have not opened up the Collective Agreement. If, and only if, an Agreement is reached in these discussions AND if, and only if, that Agreement is ratified by the Membership, will the Collective Agreement be opened or amended.
These “negotiations” will take place between September 21 & October 16, 2015.
The core topics for discussion will be:
a. Job security including maintaining all work associated with Jazz and Air Canada’s other AC Express regional carriers;
b. Wage improvements;
c. Long term labour stability;
d. Other changes to the Collective Agreement proposed and agreed to be the parties’ Negotiating Committees.
There will be one negotiation table for Technical Services Logistics and Supply Business Units and another table for Airport and Cargo, plus a main table for national issues.
Vince Ready will continue as a Mediator.
The discussions that led to these negotiations started last year after the IAMAW filed two (2) common employer applications with the CIRB – one for ACrouge and one for Sky Regional. Your Union filed these applications as Jazz and other AC Express carriers’ intend to subcontract out Bargaining Unit work traditionally performed by our Bargaining Unit Members starting in 2016 through an RFP bidding process putting a lot jobs at risk when the current Collective Agreement expires.
…/2
2/… AIR CANADA
LOW COST CARRIER
OFF THE RECORD “NEGOTIATIONS”
SEPTEMBER 21 TO OCTOBER 16, 2015
__________________________________________________________________
A condition for the IAMAW participating in this upcoming negotiation was that any RFP process that has started must be put on hold and that no new RFPs be started while we are in Negotiations. Air Canada agreed to this request.
The IAMAW views these Negotiations as an opportunity to protect jobs and Collective Agreement improvements. We created this opportunity by filing the Common Employer applications with the Labour Board and through the Vince Ready mediation process over the last number of months.
Should these Negotiations fail, both sides will have to deal with the consequences next year when the Collective Agreement expires at the end of March.
Once further information is available it will be communicated to the affected Membership.
In Solidarity,
Fred Hospes, President & Directing General Chairperson
Transportation District 140, IAMAW