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Membership Update
May 4, 2023
A Message from Karen Berry, President
Yesterday our coworkers in Toronto reached a significant milestone in the history of our employment with WestJet. I am proud to announce that they reached a 92.5% vote in favour of the Collective Agreement presented to their membership. The ratification of a collective agreement is a significant accomplishment for a union and its members. Icx want to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the YYZ Airport team for their dedication, hard work, and commitment to achieving a successful ratification vote on our collective agreement.
The achievements of the Toronto bargaining committee also have significant positive impacts on the Vancouver and Calgary membership. Effective June 1st, 2023, a 12th wage step will be in effect for the Customer Service Band (Customer Service Agents, Baggage Service Agents and Priority Service Agents). This 12th wage step was set to take effect on January 1, 2024 but has been accelerated. For those agents who have 8 (eight) or more years of service, your wage will be increasing from $25.24 to $26.23 and will be reflected on your June 30th paycheck. In addition, Toronto secured a 2% wage increase for everyone (YVR, YYC and YYZ) on January 1, 2026 which is an increase from 1.5% that Vancouver and Calgary achieved. I am proud to have supported the Bargaining Committee in YYZ during their negotiations and secured another successful wage increase.
In addition to these two significant monetary improvements, WestJet and Unifor have agreed to the process of merging the two collective agreements. We will work collaboratively with the Company and the Federal Government over the next few months to ensure a smooth transition and will ensure to communicate any impacts on the membership in the coming months.
Lastly, another successful action of the Toronto bargaining committee was securing a lump sum payment of $750 for Full TIme employees and $500 for Part Time employees for the YYZ base, exclusively. This one time payment to the Toronto members, ensures they receive compensation for the time spent in bargaining. Vancouver and Calgary received raises effective January 1, 2023 but the Toronto group was in a freeze period and were not recipients of the increase.
I want to thank the Toronto bargaining team for their hard work, dedication and advocacy for their members and in turn, members in Vancouver and Calgary. Together, we are almost 1300 strong! Lastly, a big thank you to Breanne Laihow, YVR Unit Chair and Mark Enns, Financial Secretary for joining the Toronto bargaining team this week to assist in the ratification of this historical agreement.
In Solidarity,
Karen Berry, President Local 531
Vancouver Customer Service Agent