Post date: Feb 5, 2014 5:43:05 PM

MAY 7 2013********************************************************************************************

Hello All, just a reminder about the bake sale for Awareness to the many serious Issues woman face. All proceeds will go to the downtown east-side shelter. Please come and take part don't bring a lunch lots of goodies, samosas and T-shirts for sale at 2 dollars.

May 7, 2013

Aeroplan members reach out to their communities

With never ending crisis in our industry; it is easy for us to lose our compassion in this era of growing inequality.

This is the worst thing we can do because the more detached we become from each other; the easier it is to disengage and disrespect others.

Unions were formed as a way for workers to collectively create better jobs and communities. Our success helped lift generations out of poverty. Community groups are strong partners for social justice and dignity for all.

The CAW has long recognized that our women’s advocates form the backbone in this struggle.

It is time to renew our commitment to solidarity and to build better communities.

Starting on Thursday, May 9, CAW 2002 Aeroplan members in Montreal and Vancouver will be organising the First Women’s Advocate Fundraisers in their workplaces to benefit women’s shelters in the community.

Our union is so much more than a collective agreement. It’s time to put our principles in action and make a difference by working together!

************************************************April 14 2013**************************************************************************************************************

We are deeply disappointed and upset on the Company handing down letters of suspension to agents which simply went on lunch, break or to the restroom. The company is accusing agents of participating in an alleged Walkout which is absurd. They have underestimated the resilience of our members and our union representatives. We have filed a Level 1 grievance for everyone who has received a discipline letter and will follow the legal process to resolve this unjust action taken against us.

For those affected, please put in writing what occurred for yourselves on that day so you and your representatives will justify your whereabouts on the day of your hearing. The company will be setting dates and times with 7 days for us to present your defense. We have asked the company to provide any evidence and proof supporting their decision.

We know that all of you are legitimate and on any given day an agent will log off their phone for a variety of reasons at different times. It was and is part of everyone’s daily routine. We know you all do your best to take breaks and lunches on time, but the reality is that does not happen every day due to the different variables in each day.

The company is attempting to send some kind of message to everyone. We have noticed the message is being received very negatively and is not comforting.

Since our discussions with the company have fallen on deaf ears, we will keep following the process.

We ask you to stay strong and united, now more than ever! Do not let your spirit be broken, or your morale diminished.

In Solidarity,

***********************************************April 9th 2013***************************************************************************************************************

Hello Everyone I would like to clarify re the tangerine message and the adjustment to the shifts. The Committee signed off on the shifts on Friday and the Company then proceeded to post the information to the portal, upon doing so they had posted 2 shifts that should have been 4/3 for support leads as 5/2 shifts. When we discovered their error and we immediately double checked what the committee had built and sure enough they were built as 4/3's. The company corrected their error.

Thanks Ross.

***********************************************April 8th 2013***************************************************************************************************************

Hello Everyone, The Company started a drive two weeks ago about the accommodation letters and how the agents need to provide updated medical to continue being accommodated. Please come by and see me if they have refused your documentation. They are looking to the company dr. or Medisys to review the majority of these letters and quite frankly we have not seen the review process come back in our favour most of the time in the past.

The new schedule is out and yes it is challenged to say the least. Your shift committee worked hard to soften the blow of requirements the company provided. There was a push to nights week ends and 90 less full-time call center agents to fill the operation. All we can do is watch to see if the requirement was needed.

The Company had meetings with their managers last week to help them in their struggle to deal with change. It must be very difficult for them. We need to continue to be 100 % customer service driven and continue to take the time to deliver and ensure your customers, the bread and butter are looked after. You are pressured in ways that can make your head spin and your health is at risk so please remember to take the time you need to stay focused, energised and not stressed.

Some one from the Company once said a little bit of stress is healthy, well let me tell you the word itself is attached to many many side effects, loss of sleep, anxiety and depression to name a few. We can honestly say that to be healthy we need to be stress free.

Hang in there,

Ross.

******************************April 1st 2013********************************************************************************************************************************

Bonus for Aeroplan management is no April fool’s joke

Your bargaining committee has been made aware that on March 28, 2013, Aeroplan’s Chief Commercial Officer Kevin O'Brien addressed Aeroplan management via video conference telling them it was Bonus for Management Day.

After reporting that Aimia had record profits for 2012 and that 90 per cent of these profits came from Aeroplan Canada, he said that management should feel good about their achievements; their hard work has not gone unnoticed. He added that a new bonus structure will be in place for next year and that management know where they need to focus so that [the system] works in their favour.

It appears that from the top down, management are rewarding themselves, while at the same time, front line employees are stating that they have never felt so disrespected and intimidated in the workplace. Dangling the carrot of lucrative bonuses, O'Brien has given management the green light to continue this troubling behaviour.

This has to stop.

It is the collective effort of ALL employees that has made any management bonuses possible.

When Aeroplan was named one of Montreal's top 2012 employers, O’Brien said that, "Because of their passion for our members and each other, our employees are the key to our success as a company.”

We couldn’t agree more. Let’s hope that we can return to a workplace that values and recognizes the contribution of ALL its employees.

Your Aeroplan Bargaining Committee

Vince De Sua,

Stephen Lussier

Ross McConkey

Jane Winfield

March 8 2013

*** Membership Meeting ***

Aeroplan: A message from your bargaining committee

In light of the recent announcements the company is imposing on Aeroplan call centre workers, stress levels in the workplace will continue to spiral. Added levels of anxiety may cause some discomfort for many of you. The bargaining committee would like to remind members to invoke their right to union representation for any meetings they are requested to attend with management.

If you encounter any obstacles or require further clarification we urge you to contact a member of your bargaining committee.

In times of change, it is important to remember our collective strengths. The CAW will be holding information sessions for themembership of Aeroplan on March 11 in Vancouver and March 12 in Montreal. The bargaining committee highly recommends that everyone take time to attend these important meetings.

March 7, 2013

A time of change for Aeroplan members

The bargaining committee met with the company on March 6, 2013 to discuss a number of issues and concerns that members have brought forward since the company’s announcement of staff reductions and other initiatives.

To reduce undue hardship on the membership, the union’s position was that the company should utilize all options in mitigation.

The company has decided to permanently restructure call centre staffing by fully utilizing part time members to the maximum of 25% – which the collective agreement allows. As a result, they have refused to entertain the voluntary staff reduction program in LOU 12, or VSPs, citing current year budgetary constraints, despite the fact that these programs would provide long term savings.

The permanent nature of the restructuring makes it ineligible for the Work Share program available under EI which may only be used for temporary change of status. Discussions around the reduced work week program were more promising; the company indicated that they will explore this option (once the changes of status are complete).

• 90 full time to part time reductions will be actioned by reverse seniority order of the Montreal and Vancouver call centre offices combined.

• Those affected will have the option to cancel BMT (buy more time) and voluntary LOA’s (leave of absences). A refund will be allocated for the BMT participants.

• The support department will be a 0900-1700 operation 7 days a week until further notice.

• As per the company, the relief pool will cease to exist for support and will handle absences and work load on a day-of basis.

• The company plans to continue use the support center leads in off hours with a desire to train the customer service leads (CSL) group to handle off hour operations in the future.

• Destination Miles will be a 0900-1700 EST operation from Monday to Friday in Montreal only reduced to 20 FT.

• Reciprocals (change of status) will be actioned by the company for any agents on the list prior to March 12.

Providing service is the cost of providing a premium product. It is very disappointing and difficult to understand why a profitable company compartmentalizes its operations to this extent at the risk of impacting service levels of the premium loyalty program they strive to have.

Aeroplan is an award winning company that owes its success to the excellent customer service our members have consistently provided. Customer Service minus manpower equals Customer Dis-service. It’s that simple.

In solidarity,

Your Aeroplan Bargaining Committee:

Vince De Sua,

Stephen Lussier

Ross McConkey

Jane Winfield

(Sandra Braico)

Theresa Amicarelli, Executive Assistant

Jamie Ross, President Local 2002

Leslie Dias, CAW National Representative

February 27,2013

**************************************************************** JUST RELEASED*******************************************************************************

Aeroplan members want respect

Call centre members at Aeroplan are becoming increasingly frustrated with management’s actions after the recent downsizing announcement. Information sessions are now being conducted in the workplace by the employer, without any consultation with the union.

Members are offended at the lack of respect management have shown by not approaching or consulting their elected CAW representatives. At no time has the company approached the union for discussions on ANY of these matters. Our first opportunity to address these issues will be at a UMHQ meeting scheduled to take place on March 6, 2013.

The bargaining committee would like to thank the concerned members of Aeroplan who brought these matters to the union’s attention. We understand that this is a stressful time and will continue to keep members updated of any further updates.

Please contact a member of your bargaining committee if you have any further concerns,

In solidarity,

Your Aeroplan bargaining committee:

Vince De Sua

Stephen Lussier

Ross McConkey

Jane Winfield

********************************* Message from Ross************************************************************************************21 Feb 2013

Hello everyone, Big changes ahead in light of the recent annoucement from Caroline Hagan. Clearly history is back again nipping at our heals. The Company is hell bent on productivity at any cost. The fact that we have been very vocal and continue to be about initatives like assigned seating and excessive monitoring they continue to press on and try to execute these processes to our detriment. As we know constant hammering only creates stress and anxiety and really only produces a short gain in productivity with long term affects on our well being. Hard lessons learned (at our expense) but history has proven that this type of micro management has only served as a vessel for agents to work in a robotic non customer service structured way. A way that none of us were hired and trained to perform.

We are hoping to schedule a meeting or at the very least at the UMHQ schedlued for March 6 to address all the concerns we have with the recent annoucement. We recognise the changes being proposed are playing hard on all your minds, and need to remind you to take your time service your customers one at a time. Work at a pace you are comfortable with and if you feel presured to perform any differently please come see us at the Union office. Health first everything else second.

Take Care,

Ross.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Message from the bargaining committee,

February 18, 2013

Aeroplan announces downsizing of call centres

On Friday February 15, the membership of Aeroplan were advised by the Company their intention of converting 90 full time positions to part time sometime in April 2013, for an undetermined period of time.

The union has requested a meeting with the employer in order to discuss mitigation programs as temporary solutions such as RO (requested time off) and LOAs (leave of absences) have already been exhausted. Some possibilities could include a reduced work week and/or voluntary separation programs. The union is also exploring any potential options that may be available under current employment insurance programs and has initiated those discussions with the employer as certain conditions are attached to these programs.

This is a disappointing announcement for the approximately 800 members who handle calls for Aeroplan customers in Montreal and Vancouver. We will continue to advise the membership of any further developments as information becomes available.

If you have any further concerns, please contact a member of your bargaining committee.

******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

15 Feb 2013

Hello Everyone,

With the bulletin that was released today in the tangerine portal, We will be discussing with the company for more info how they will carry out their plans. Please stayed tuned. If you have any questions, please come by the office..

Ross and your union team.

****************************************************************************************

I need to advise of a correction to a previous post. I found out this morning that your retro - pay will be on the MARCH 13 paycheck. Your Pay increase will be as previously communicated Feb 13.

Thanks Ross.

************************** Urgent Message from your union***********************************23 FEB 2013.

Hello everyone it is very clear how the company has been approaching you lately they seem to be focusing Cst Times and Not Ready times. It is the busiest time of year and the re-price tool is not working as designed adding to your stress. It seems like the company is so wound up in their stats that they can't see the reason you may have a longer call or have to go on Not Ready. Moving forward I am requesting that you bring a union rep to your CSM appointments. There have been some comments made that have come accross as threatening and with union presence they seem to not use the same same verbiage. Take care one file at a time and remember you have the right to be treated fair and not feel threatened.

Cheers Ross.

****************************************************************************************************************************

January 17 2013.

Benefits and start times,

Your benefits as listed will commence February 1st.

Massage therapy 50.00 per visit up to 1000.00

Eyeglasses increase from 225.00 to 300.00

Hearing Aids increase 1500 from 750 per every 5 years

Laser eye surgery 1500 every 48 months.

Life Insurance to 100,000

Cap for Suplementary 50,000 removed.

Your Pay Increases will be retro from November 15th 2012 and paid on the Feb. 13 pay cheque in 2013.

Cheers Ross.

***********************OPEN HOUSE*****************************************************************************

Happy New Year Everyone,

We have decided to have our open house on Tuesday the 22nd of January. Please come by

from 11am. to 1730 pm. for some refreshments. We look forward to seeing you.

Thanks,

Ross and your Union Team.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************

Happy Holidays everyone,

What a year, lots of change and lots to reflect about. Our office will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, as well New Years Day. Please email if you have any concerns on those days and I will get back to you if need be. Time to relax now as 2013 is set to be another challenging year. As I mentioned in a previous email we will re-schedule our holiday open house in the new year.

All the best to a great group of colleagues,

Ross and your Union Team.

December 19, 2012

The CAW is pleased to announce that Local 2002 Aeroplan members in Montreal and Vancouver have ratified a new three-year collective agreement by 72 per cent.

Highlights of the new collective bargaining agreement include:

• Improved wage scale

• Wage increases retroactive to November 15th, 2012 (3%, 2%, 2%)

• Improved vacation – ability to bank statutory holidays and lieu days

• Defined pension plan intact

• New language for social media

• Cap removed from Supplementary Health Insurance currently at $50,000.00 lifetime

• Workplace violence language

• New respect in the workplace - Harassment Investigation Language

• Paramedical services as outlined in Article 19.08.04 to include massage therapy

• Vision care coverage increased to $300.00 every 2 years from the current $225.00

• Laser eye surgery coverage $1500.00 every 48 months

• Hearing Aids increased to $1500.00 every 5 years from the current $750.00

• Company paid Group Life Insurance coverage increased to $100,000.00 from current $70,000.00

"I wish to congratulate our Aeroplan members and bargaining committee for their unyielding commitment in obtaining a fair and equitable contract," said CAW Local 2002 President Jamie Ross. "With a slow-moving economy and the government’s relentless attack on labour, we are proud of the gains that we were able to attain for our members. While the negotiations were tough, it is a credit to both sides to be able to reach a negotiated settlement that received acceptance of our members during the ratification process."

In solidarity,

Your Aeroplan Bargaining Committee

Vince De Sua

Alenka Karkling

Stephen Lussier

Ross McConkey

Jane Winfield

Theresa Amicarelli, Executive Assistant Local 2002

Jamie Ross, President Local 2002

Leslie Dias, CAW Representative

Bob Orr, CAW Assistant to National President

CAW reaches tentative deal with Aeroplan

The CAW is pleased to announce that a tentative agreement has been reached with Aeroplan. Details of the new agreement will be released at ratification meetings where members will have an opportunity to ask questions and receive answers from CAW officials. Members will also have an opportunity to vote acceptance this new contract.

Ratification meetings will be held on Tuesday, December 18 as follows:

• • Montreal: Unitarian Church

  • 1030 – 1300

  • 1500 – 1730

  • Vancouver: Fairmont Vancouver Airport

  • (to be confirmed via this page)

  • 1030 – 1300

  • 1500 – 1800

Your bargaining committee unanimously recommends this tentative agreement and urges you to vote in favour of the recommendation for acceptance.

Aeroplan is loyalty marketing program operated by Groupe Aeroplan Inc. CAW members book airline rewards for customers, answer customer service questions related to online bookings and support customers with their online transactions.

Members have been without an agreement since November 14th when the previous contract expired.

-Improved benefits including massage therapy, vision

care and laser surgery, hearing aids

-Cap removed on supplementary health coverage

-Collective Bargaining Agreement intact

-New language for Social Media

-Pension Plan preserved

*** Complete details of the new agreement will be releaseat ratification meetings where members will have an

opportunity to ask questions and receive answers from

CAW officials. ***