As we’ve seen time and time again, Porter can make changes to our working conditions whenever they want – to make them better, or worse.
This month, Porter is implementing its new 24-hour reserve policy, which is making it very difficult for many of you to manage your work-life balance and hold a second job. Porter has also decided to arbitrarily issue reserve conversion with little explanation for the change.
In recent months, Porter has shown they can give cabin crew the job improvements they deserve when they want to – and they can also take our rights away whenever they feel like it.
Without a union (and an enforceable collective agreement), anything Porter gives out today, they can take away tomorrow. That’s just the sad reality.
Employers always float wage increases and new perks when they’re under pressure from union drives, only to claw them back later.
The company has been hoping their promise of a wage bump for some employees on the former B-scale would distract from the unfair changes they’ve made to the reserve policy and increasing the length of your duty day without a comparable duty premium. WestJet flight attendants, for example, who are represented by CUPE, receive a $200 duty premium for minutes 1-60 beyond a maximum duty period and $400 for minutes 61-120 after that.
Porter talks a lot about how these new changes finally bring the company in line with industry standards. But we don’t want to simply carry on chasing industry standards – we want to set our own, and with a union, we can.
Without a union, Porter can give, but they also can (and will) take away.
With a union, Porter won’t be able to make changes to our contract or take away our hard-fought wins arbitrarily. With a union, we’ll have a strong, united voice, and an enforceable contract to protect and advance our working conditions.
Let’s show the company we’re determined to have a voice. If you haven’t already, sign your card today. Signing a union card is a two-step process: after you’ve signed up, you will also need to pay a federally-mandated $5 application which is required by the Canada Industrial Relations Board. You can now pay your fee via e-transfer to porter@cupe.ca – easy-peasy!