We all know how busy the summer season can be for flying and how much work this can be on cabin crew.
When vacation season is upon us do you have rules in place that crew scheduling follows? What happens when you work an extended duty day? Is there recognition for these long hours? What about overtime? If you get called on a day off how is that recognized?
At unionized airlines like Air Transat and WestJet there are negotiated premiums for duty days over 14 hours. There is also negotiated language on overtime flying. 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. Air Transat, Sunwing, and WestJet all have premiums between $700-800 for voluntary extensions past 16 hours.
These airlines also have a grievance procedure in place so that if the employer is not following your contract you can file a grievance with your union local. Filing a grievance is your best protection when your employer doesn’t follow the rules set out in your union contract.
All of this is a result of collective bargaining a legally binding contract with input from the members – this means you as cabin crew!
To get the protection of a collective agreement and recognition for all of your hard work during vacation season Sign your union card today.