Thursday June 29, 2017
For Immediate Release
Toronto, ON – The IAM campaign to organize WestJet Customer Service Agents and Aircraft Maintenance Engineers across Canada has entered its next phase.
“The culture at WestJet has changed,” said IAM Transportation District Lodge 140 Organizer Sam Jabbar. “WestJet employees are telling us that the days of a family atmosphere in their workplace have gone, replaced by a corporate attitude that’s only interested in making a profit.”
For the past six months, the IAM has been quietly signing up WestJet employees in Toronto and Calgary, now it is expanding across the entire country.
“Management has been actively telling employees to tell us ‘no thanks’ but we believe the time has come for employees to tell WestJet ‘no thanks’ and say yes to a union,” said Jabbar. “Management doesn’t want a union because it doesn’t want to give its employees real shift schedules, stability, pensions, workplace rights, respect or legal representation.”
“Scheduling and favouritism are big issues with the employees we have spoken to,” explained Jabbar. “The bulk of the employees at WestJet are part-time and they have no control over their lives because their shifts are changed weekly. There’s no respect for years of service, seniority is an afterthought and the favouritism practiced by the company pits workers against one another. It leaves employees feeling very insecure.”
The IAM represents Aircraft Maintenance Engineers (AME), Licensed Vehicle Technicians, Millwrights, Customer Service Agents (CSA), Pilots and Flight Attendants at airlines such as Air Canada, Air Transat, Aer Lingus, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, El Al, Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines to name a few.
“The IAM is encouraged by the positive reaction from WestJet employees we have spoken with and we are confident they will be joining the IAM family,” added Jabbar.
-30-
For further information:
Sam Jabbar – IAM Transportation District Lodge 140 Organizer
905-671-3192/416-875-8140
Bill Trbovich – IAM Director of Communications
416-386-1789 Ext #6331/416-735-9765
