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As you are all aware, there is currently an active Position Reductions And Displacements Without Layoffs bid that everyone is required to participate in. This has understandably raised concerns, as we are not yet WestJet employees and, under the terms of the WestJet collective agreement, this type of bid would not typically apply to us at this stage.
We are actively exploring our options regarding the appropriateness of this premature bid process.
In the meantime, all pilots must submit a bid, regardless of your current status, including if you are on disability leave. We cannot guarantee any protections for those who choose not to bid. We will provide further updates as we learn more.
There are technically two bids within the overall reduction bid, though only the end results of both bids will be published.
The first is a vacancy bid (optional and only needed if you would like to change your Position).
The second is the reduction bid. All pilots are required to submit a reduction bid. If your position is reduced and you have not placed a reduction bid, you might be placed in any remaining open spot!
We formally objected to WestJet's decision to label this bid the Sunwing Integration Bid as we felt that the title would only serve to create division in the pilot group and failed to recognize that the pilot groups were already integrated through Arbitrator Gedalof's award. It should also be noted that in our view, the crew imbalance identified in this bid has more to do with WestJet’s failure to reduce their YYZ base when they significantly pulled back from eastern Canada in years past and less to do with the Sunwing merger.
We know that these bids are going to cause disruption and considerable hardship for pilots across the combined group. Captains will be downgraded, and captains and first officers will be forced to relocate. We have asked WestJet why this is necessary. Their reply is cliché: operational requirements, business needs, efficiency, etc. The basing numbers (cuts) are worse than anticipated and lead us to question WestJet’s logic--they bought a business based in eastern Canada with plans for further expansion in that market and yet they are slashing pilot positions in the East, forcing them West while leaving Cabin Crew numbers status quo.
For those who are downgraded as a result of this reduction bid: we are aware that some of WestJet’s management have been telling our transferred pilots that any Sunwing captains downgraded will go down to year 1 first officer pay. This is not correct, and we have received confirmation that pay (for captains downgraded to first officers) will be based on combined Length of Service at WestJet and Sunwing. The captain Length of Service/DOH pay issue is separate (although very similar) and has been filed for arbitration by the WestJet MEC.
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