We’re aware that the company has sent out a Q&A memo about our effort to form a union in an attempt to tarnish our effort to grow our voice and our rights in the workplace – an effort that is inspired and lead by Porter cabin crew.
We’re not surprised our bosses don’t want us joining a union and standing up for our rights. They’ve always enjoyed 100% control and probably aren’t happy about the idea of ceding some of that power back to us.
We think it’s important you have all the facts about our effort to form a union.
What does this all mean?
- If you sign a union card, you’ll be one step closer to a better quality of life and improved working conditions – whether that’s better pay and benefits, better scheduling, or workplace health and safety standards. These priorities are determined democratically by you, the members.
- If you sign a union card, you’ll be one step closer to being part of Canada’s flight attendant union. CUPE represents flight attendants at major international carriers like Air Canada and WestJet, midsize carriers like Flair and Calm, destination carriers like Sunwing and Air Transat, and smaller regional carriers like Canadian North, PasCan and PAL Airlines. Altogether, CUPE represents 18,500 flight attendants across Canada.
What happens if I change my mind?
- We strongly believe that workers who sign union cards have usually done their research and stand firm in their decision. If something has changed, you can always reach out to us directly and we can help.
What are my rights?
- You have the right to join a union, free from intimidation by your employer and its representatives. If you believe you are being intimidated against signing a union card in the workplace or online, you should contact porter@cupe.ca.
What happens if a union is certified?
- Great news. If we form a union, our employer cannot punish us by rolling back our rights, because our pay and working conditions will be frozen until we negotiate our first collective agreement.
How is a collective agreement created?
- A collective agreement is negotiated between the union and the employer on everything from pay, to job security, to sick leave, to uniform allowances, and more.
- Typically, before negotiations begin, the bargaining committee of the union will consult with our membership to determine our priorities for bargaining, and we’ll go to bat for our members’ priorities at the bargaining table with the help of CUPE’s specialized expertise in research, legal, health and safety, and job evaluation.
- At CUPE, you are the union, and you will be the ones deciding democratically on what your priorities are in bargaining. As a collective, Porter cabin crew will vote on priorities for those negotiations. CUPE staff don’t make those decisions – you do.
Will I get better wages and benefits if the unionization is successful?
- We can’t guarantee what our first collective agreement would look like, but the facts are clear. Being a union member in Canada, on average, means $5.14 more per hour than non-union workers. Women in unions earn $6.88 more per hour than women in non-union jobs.
- Unionized flight attendants have better pay for delays and layovers, longer rest periods between flights, higher starting hourly wages and higher pay for cabin crew pursers, with shorter wage schedules that allow you to reach the top wage rates faster. They have allowances for footwear and drycleaning. They have better retirement through employer-contribution pension plans.
- The company says “all [CUPE] can guarantee is a right to negotiate with us.” Well, being able to negotiate would be a nice change, since it’s something we’ve never enjoyed at Porter. Our bosses have always dictated our wages and our terms of employment top-down. And looking at what CUPE has successfully negotiated with other airlines – why wouldn’t we want CUPE helping us negotiate?
- The company is asking us whether we think it’s better to have a say, or no say at all. We think the answer is pretty obvious.
Will I pay dues if the unionization is successful?
- Everyone pays union dues because everyone benefits from union representation. Dues go towards the union local’s expenses, and cover support and services like staff representatives, research and communications specialists, health and safety officers, and legal representatives. Your union dues are tax deductible, and CUPE has no additional application fees. On average, most local unions deduct a total dues levy of 1.5% – or the cost of a cup of coffee a day to help secure better wages and working conditions for you and all your coworkers.
If you have other questions about what joining a union will mean for you, head over to our FAQ page, or get in touch at porter@cupe.ca.