RES OFFICE UPDATES

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE ARE MY OWN.. THERE HAS BEEN NO INPUT AT ALL FROM ANYONE WORKING FOR ANY TEAMSTERS LOCAL UNION OR THE I.B.T. INTERNATIONAL ....

ROB CAREY

AT THE LAST CONTRACT NEGOTIATION, WE AGREED TO LET THE COMPANY

"TRANSFER CALLS TO CANADA ANYTIME IT DEEMS NECESSARY FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE REASONS"

I AGREED TO THIS, BECAUSE IN EXCHANGE FOR THIS

"GIVE BACK"

TO THE COMPANY, THE U.S. RESERVATION OFFICE GOT A GUARANTEE ON MINIMUM STAFF LEVELS.

"AIR CANADA WILL MAINTAIN THE STAFFING LEVEL AT THE U.S. RESERVATIONS OFFICE AT A MINIMUM LEVEL OF 217 EMPLOYEES"

THE ONLY TIME AIR CANADA WOULD TRANSFER CALLS FROM TAMPA RES. TO CANADA WAS WHEN...

"TAMPA RES. WAS BUSY AND THE RES. OFFICES IN CANADA WERE NOT".

( THIS WAS GUARANTEED TO ME BY THE MANAGER, LABOUR RELATIONS FOR AIR CANADA ).

HAVING BEEN INVOLVED IN MANY CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS WITH AIR CANADA

(ON THE I.B.T. SIDE ... OF COURSE) ...

I HAVE LEARNED THAT THE COMPANY...

WITH A VERBAL AGREEMENT AND A HANDSHAKE HAS LIVED UP TO THE "INTENT" OF THE NEGOTIATED PROVISIONS OF THE CONTRACT.

UNFORTUNATELY

AS WE ARE NOW MID-WAY THROUGH THE THIRD YEAR OF THE CURRENT CONTRACT...

I HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE COMPANY HAS

NO INTENT

ON LIVING UP TO THEIR END OF THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT.

IT WAS NEGOTIATED INTO THE CURRENT CONTRACT THAT...

"AIR CANADA WILL MAINTAIN THE SPECIALIST FUNCTIONS AT THE U.S. RESERVATIONS OFFICE WITH THE EXCEPTIONS OF QUEUES, WHICH WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO CANADA. THE MEDA DESK WILL BE RE-OPENED IN U.S. RESERVATIONS".

AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE LOST QUEUES TO CANADA ... AND THE MEDA DEPARTMENT HAS YET TO BE RE-OPENED IN TAMPA.

THE GRIEVANCE IS ON-GOING.

NOW WE FIND OUT THAT OUR REWARDS DEPARTMENT WILL ALSO BE GOING TO CANADA.

IN MY OPINION THIS IS YET ANOTHER

TOTAL AND BLATANT DISREGARD BY THE COMPANY TO HONOR ITEMS THAT WERE NEGOTIATED IN GOOD FAITH BY THE TEAMSTERS SIDE OF THE BARGAINING TABLE.

IN RECENT CASES THE COMPANY HAS ALSO DISREGARDED THE CHANGE MADE TO THE CONTRACT WHICH DEALS WITH THE TIME FRAME ALLOWED FOR THE SELECTION OF ARBITRATORS IN "DEADLOCKED" MATTERS BEFORE THE SYSTEM BOARD.

NOT TO MENTION THE "VERBAL" GUARANTEES I WAS GIVEN REGARDING DOMESTIC PARTNER BENEFITS, THAT HAVE YET TO MATERIALIZE.

I ONLY WISH THAT THE COMPANY WOULD REMEMBER WHAT THEY SAID AT THE LAST CONTRACT NEGOTIATION

WHEN THE THREAT OF A HOSTILE TAKEOVER BY ONEX WAS VERY REAL.

ON THE FINAL DAY OF NEGOTIATIONS, WHEN THE CONTRACT WAS SIGNED BY ALL PRESENT AND IT WAS AGREED THAT WE WOULD TAKE IT BACK TO THE MEMBERSHIP WITH OUR FULL RECCOMENDATION.

A MEMBER OF AIR CANADA LABOUR RELATIONS SAID:

WITH THE SIGNING OF A 6 YEAR AGREEMENT, IT WILL SHOW ONEX THAT

"HARMONY EXISTS BETWEEN LABOR AND MANAGEMENT"

AND IT WOULD MAKE IT MUCH HARDER FOR ONEX TO SUCCEED IN THEIR HOSTILE BID TO TAKEOVER AIR CANADA.

IN MY OPINION ...

WE HAVE LIVED UP TO OUR END OF THE BARGAINING AGREEMENT

AND

IT IS TIME THE COMPANY TO DO THE SAME !!

THE "HARMONY BETWEEN LABOR AND MANAGEMENT" IS QUICKLY ERODING !!

AND THAT TRULY IS A SHAME.

...............

TIME TO START MAKING SOME NOISE ???

I THINK SO !!!

ROB CAREY
19 APRIL 01