Seniority Survey – Pre-survey information
Dear Members,
Seniority is one of the most important and sensitive issues in our workplace. It directly impacts scheduling, vacation bidding, reserve assignment, travel privileges, career progression, and more.
Over the years, our workplace has gone through major changes including mergers, flow arrangements, and department transfers, all of which have made seniority more complex and have affected members in different ways.
This is a pre-communication regarding the seniority survey. Another email will be sent upon the survey being opened.
When our first collective agreement (CA1) was ratified, it set the foundation for how seniority was applied.
Since then, further complexities have been introduced:
The Flow MOAs for both Encore and Swoop;
The integration of Sunwing and Swoop into WestJet;
The historical and continuation of Flow between airlines; and
Seniority decisions through arbitration.
As a result of these developments, it is more important than ever that we understand the collective will of the membership.
How This Survey Will Be Measured
For each question, the option with the most votes will be the result. Selecting “Indifferent” means you have no preference. These responses will be recorded but do not count toward either option.
Even if the number of “Indifferent” votes is higher than any of the other options, the result will still be based only on the comparison between the options that indicate a preference.
What This Survey Covers
As shared in the Bargaining Townhalls, the main themes of the survey include:
Flow from Encore and Swoop: Whether time worked as Cabin Crew in these airlines should be recognized on the Mainline seniority list (retroactive and forward-going).
Company Exit and Rehire: How seniority should apply when a member’s employment ends and later returns to flying.
Transfers from Other WestJet Group Departments: Whether and how time worked in other departments should count toward Cabin Crew seniority.
Reciprocity: whether there is interest in having our seniority recognized in other departments and in turn once achieved – have that department recognized on our list.
Cabin Manager Recruitment: The role of seniority in the recruitment and training process for Cabin Managers.
Cabin Manager Classifications: Exploring interest on whether Cabin Manager seniority should remain tied to the current Master Seniority List or move to a separate list specific to the role and seniority based on time served as a CM. This question is a matter of principle – not tied to an aircraft type.
Travel Privileges: Whether seniority should play a role in how standby travel is prioritized
Open Feedback: Space to share additional thoughts, concerns, or perspectives on seniority.
Why Your Input Matters
Under Canadian labour law, the Union cannot override or impose changes to a ratified Collective Agreement. No elected official or Union leader has the authority to “just do it.” That power rests with the membership and even then, because the Collective Agreement is legally binding once ratified, any change must also be agreed to by the Company through bargaining. This survey does not change seniority on its own.
Your responses to this survey will give the Bargaining Committee a mandate on how to approach Seniority in upcoming negotiations. Seniority has consistently been one of the top concerns raised by members, and the high volume of feedback we continue to receive shows how important this issue is.
The Union and its Bargaining Committee are instruments of the membership’s will. Our role is not to impose outcomes, but to carry forward your collective decision to the bargaining table, where changes can be negotiated. This survey ensures your voice is heard and your position shapes the path forward.
Looking Ahead: Unity is Our Strength
Once this decision is made, we must move forward together. Seniority is only one of many difficult issues we will face in bargaining and beyond. Not everyone will agree with the outcome, and some may even consider voting No on a future tentative agreement because of it. But it is important to be clear: a “No” vote will not change the result on seniority. The Bargaining Committee will follow the mandate given by the membership through this survey.
There is a common misconception that the Union is the one deciding how seniority works. That is NOT the case. These rules were not created by Union leaders or imposed by elected officials. They are the product of what you the membership ratified in the Collective Agreement or MOAs. Once ratified, the language becomes legally binding on both the Union membership and the Company and can only be changed through bargaining.
Collective bargaining is driven by the will of the membership — not by past promises, base-specific practices, or individual expectations. This is written directly into our Collective Agreement under Article 8-1.02:
“This Agreement shall supersede all representations including but not limited to, past practices, base-specific practices, previous agreements, side letters of agreement, memoranda of agreement, or similar documents or individual agreements that were executed or applied prior to the effective date of this Agreement, unless such agreements or their terms and conditions are specifically incorporated into this Agreement.”
This means that anything you may have been told, promised, or experienced before CA1 does not override the Collective Agreement. Our foundation is what is written and ratified by you, the membership.
Division only weakens us and strengthens the employer’s hand. Unity is our strength. By making collective decisions even when they are not everyone’s first choice we show that we can stand together as one union, one profession, and one voice. That is how we make gains and move forward.
Next Steps
The Seniority survey will be released shortly. A subsequent email with survey instructions will be sent out upon the survey being sent out.
When you receive the survey, please take the time to complete the survey thoughtfully. The results will help guide how we approach seniority issues at the bargaining table, with the goal of achieving clarity, fairness, and improvements that reflect the collective will of Cabin Personnel.
This democratic survey and the questions we are asking are direct asks of the membership. Our common focus continues to be ending unpaid work and compensation that reflects our contributions to the organization.
Once the survey results are complete, we must commit to one another that our focus must be moving forward as one voice to achieving the best possible outcome for CA2. We recognize the potential divisiveness of seniority, however, let’s not deter our focus and bargaining power from the remainder of our common goals.
Thank you in advance for your participation and professionalism.
In Unity,
WestJet Bargaining Committee
Alia Hussain - President
Bryan Hansraj - WestJet Unit VP
Jean-Francois Laframboise - YVR/YEG Rep
Shane Campbell - YYC Rep
Justin Patterson - YYZ Rep
Cailey Millard - YWG/YUL Rep
Alex Grigoriev - Local Executive (Alternate)
Cameron Jones - Local Executive (Alternate)