Month: February 2021

WestJet & CUPE reach tentative agreement

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If ratified, agreement will cover over 3,100 cabin crew 

CALGARY – CUPE and WestJet have reached a tentative first collective agreement for mainline cabin crew. CUPE Local 4070 represents over 3,100 cabin crew members at the airline.

CUPE has represented cabin crew at WestJet since July 2018. The parties have been engaged in collective bargaining towards a first union contract since April 2019. 

CUPE Local 4070 President Chris Rauenbusch called this “an unprecedented achievement at the height of trying times for our industry.” Rauenbusch noted that COVID-19 travel restrictions and layoffs made achieving this milestone “a monumental task.” 

“In the past year, over 90% of our members have been grounded due to the pandemic,” said Rauenbusch. “To achieve a constructive tentative agreement in this environment is remarkable.” 

“I am incredibly proud of the work done by both our union and our bargaining committee, particularly in such a challenging context.” commented Rauenbusch. “Though both sides bargained with tenacity, we believe WestJet has demonstrated a clear commitment to building harmonious labour relations moving forward,” concluded Rauenbusch. 

Rauenbusch said CUPE will conduct a ratification vote in March. The union will not release details of the tentative agreement until union members have voted on it. 

“Our membership is proud that we’ve been able to provide a safe travel option to Canadians who travel during this pandemic,” said Rauenbusch. “With this agreement, we are positioned to continue proudly providing professional, safe flights well into the future. The only mystery that remains is whether this government will ensure our industry survives.”

 CUPE also represents cabin crew at WestJet subsidiaries WestJet Encore and Swoop. Rauenbusch hopes the tentative agreement with the ‘mainline’ will lead to similar agreements across the company.

A backward budget from Jason Kenney

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Dear friends,

Today, Jason Kenney’s government tabled a budget for the 2021-22 year.

I’d love tell you that the UCP tabled a budget that will create jobs, revitalize the economy and protects the public services we need.

I’d love to tell you that, but I can’t.

Don’t believe what the Kenney government is saying. This is a budget that cuts services, that has no plan for the economy, and makes working Albertans pay for corporate tax cuts and bad investments.

CUTS TO VALUABLE SERVICES

When you factor in population growth and inflation, today’s budget represents a $4 billion cut to services we count on.

To put this in real terms, it means:

  • $600 million less for health care than Alberta spent in 2018-19. And that’s AFTER including money from the federal government to help with COVID.
  • The UCP have cut education funding by $160 million, even though 20,000 more students will come into the system in September.
  • The UCP cut $600 million from post-secondary education, they cut $750 million from municipalities. Kenney is cutting crime prevention & criminal prosecution. He is cutting funds for the homeless, funds for housing, and funds for wildfire fighting.

And on top of all that, there’s $1.4 billion in further cuts by 2023.

CORPORATE TAX BREAKS – THOSE ARE STILL A GO

Jason Kenney is continuing his $4.7 billion tax cuts for profitable corporations – tax cuts that have yet to produce a single job.

And we now know that Jason Kenney has lost another $900 million on the failed Keystone pipeline (bringing the total lost to $2.4 billion).

The budget has no plan for job creation and no plan for diversification of our economy. We have no plan beyond ‘hoping things get better.’

Kenney isn’t even making a dent in the deficit and debt. I don’t believe this is the time to focus on debt. But for all the pain inflicted by his cuts, Jason Kenney’s deficit is three times higher than the last NDP budget.

BACKWARD BUDGET

CUPE is fighting back. I’m asking you to go to www.backwardsbudget.ca and send a message to the UCP – this budget is a bad plan for Alberta.

Jason Kenney promised Jobs, the economy and pipelines. He promised no cuts to frontline services. He’s broken almost every promise he made.

Nobody voted for this.

Sincerely,

Rory Gill, President
CUPE Alberta