Cabin Crew Arbitration on Tattoos and Ear/Nose Rings

[Splash]

Not too sure it matters, as long as it's in good taste. I know it would be perceived as being very much subjective.

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/ai ... arbitrator

[altiplano]

F'n A. Good for the goose good for the gander.

I could never bring myself to wear long sleeves shirts so have always forgone my dream of full sleeve tattoos... now though, that stress and anxiety will be gone and I can be who I always wanted to be at work. They'll be discreet sleeves though, don't worry. That's some solid language there... not too bright on colours should be good. Six earrings and a nose ring inbound pronto too.

Probably should get the arbitration rolling on hair cut above the collar and might as well look at the 1/2" limit on beards too... society is changing. Come to think of it I wouldn't mind a ruling on the black sock restriction too, I mean look at the PM, if it's good for him, right? I do need to express myself and relieve all this stress and anxiety...

[fish4life]

Not sure if you are being sarcastic or not but black socks is a dumb policy. Look at lawyers and business executives they all have tasteful coloured dress socks they aren’t wearing black socks unless they are 70

[mmm..bacon]

Hi, Welcome aboard Air Canada. I'm your captain, Altiplano

[ToolShed]

Hi, Welcome aboard Air Canada. I'm your captain, Altiplano

HAHAH...

[altiplano]

Hi, Welcome aboard Air Canada. I'm your captain, Altiplano

LOLOLOL...

That's pretty discreet for sure...

[lownslow]

Hi, Welcome aboard Air Canada. I'm your captain, Altiplano

Non-passenger screening would straight-up die if you walked in looking like that.

[alkaseltzer]

Not too sure it matters, as long as it's in good taste. I know it would be perceived as being very much subjective.

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/ai ... arbitrator

Kaplan is really looking for some free passes and beverage/alcohol service from Westjet or AC...

[Julian.B]

Well, we allow religious items to be worn by crewmembers, so why not tattoos and piercings? Why are those people more important? Is their "identity" more valuable than someone with a tattoo? ("YES" if you ask the Liberals).

I think I should be allowed to wear my Santa hat year round. I strongly believe in the jolly old f*ck. Hell I've seen him with my own two eyes. How many people can say that about their "deity"?

[notwhoyouthinkIam]

Well, we allow religious items to be worn by crewmembers, so why not tattoos and piercings? Why are those people more important? Is their "identity" more valuable than someone with a tattoo? ("YES" if you ask the Liberals).

I think I should be allowed to wear my Santa hat year round. I strongly believe in the jolly old f*ck. Hell I've seen him with my own two eyes. How many people can say that about their "deity"?

Religious symbols are protected; non-religious tattoos and piercings are not.

Honestly, we should be getting with the times. Beards are professional. People with tattoos are not taboo.

[Julian.B]

Well, we allow religious items to be worn by crewmembers, so why not tattoos and piercings? Why are those people more important? Is their "identity" more valuable than someone with a tattoo? ("YES" if you ask the Liberals).

I think I should be allowed to wear my Santa hat year round. I strongly believe in the jolly old f*ck. Hell I've seen him with my own two eyes. How many people can say that about their "deity"?

Religious symbols are protected; non-religious tattoos and piercings are not.

Honestly, we should be getting with the times. Beards are professional. People with tattoos are not taboo.

Too bad. Religion has no place is public life. Anyway. Not a topic of discussion for this forum. You are correct. Of the guys I fly with, having a beard didn't make them worse or better pilots. Still the same guys but happier that they can be who they want to be. I personally hate beards (on me). I tried it once and was all itchy. None the less if people want to sport a beard: Give'er! I'm 100% for that and allowing tattoos. (As long as it's not something idiotic (or illegal).... like a swastika or some other bullshit. Also mermaids with tits out. That's also stupid!

[goldeneagle]

Beards are professional.

That depends entirely on what kind of masks are fitted into your aircraft.

[RedAndWhiteBaron]

Also mermaids with tits out. That's also stupid!

That depends entirely on what kind of mermaids are fitted into your aircraft (with apologies to the females present).

But seriously though,

Beards are professional.

That depends entirely on what kind of masks are fitted into your aircraft.

Agreed. I've never done NBC training, but a lifetime ago I cleaned petrochemical tanks for one of the most well respected confined space companies in the industry. The rule was 2 days' growth. To drive the point home, during training, they put us first into a xylene tank clean shaven (could've been coal tar too - it was definitely what we call a "ball burner"), and then told us to not shave for a week. Then put us into the same tank, with a weeks' worth of facial hair.

Let's just say I didn't last fifteen seconds in there with a weeks' beard on me. There's a reason firefighters are famous for mustaches and not beards. The same argument can be made for an O2 mask - it may not simply be a lack of air - it may be something toxic in the cabin.

Sometimes you could cheat with Vaseline applied to the respirator seal - but that wouldn't work in a cabin fire emergency.

[Raymond Hall]

This arbitration award should come as no surprise to anyone, given the long-standing precedent. Namely the 1986 grievance arbitration award and subsequent court approval of same, in favour of a male Wardair Flight Attendant who was denied permission to wear a single earing. The court decision is available on-line at the link below.

Interesting issue, namely how far is an employer allowed to impose its dress and deportment restrictions on its employees. Think about the almost forgotten history. Flight attendants were originally required to be female nurses, non-married, and of a certain minimal height. Later, male Flight Attendants were hired as Pursers (In-Charge). That restriction changed in the mid-1970's.

After the passage of the Canadian Human Rights Act in 1978, many of these physical restrictions were relaxed but not abandoned. Notably, gender and physical characteristics, including beards and obesity. The age 65 restriction was eliminated in 2009 after an arbitration award that was based on a Charter decision that I won at the Federal Court. In December, 2012 the government eliminated mandatory retirement in the entire federal sector, save for the military and a few other limited professions.

In 1985 I filed a grievance regarding Air Canada's restriction against pilots wearing beards. The union took it to Step 3, but would not take it to arbitration. It was ultimately eliminated a few years ago.

Here is the Wardair case:

https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/1 ... pletePos=1

[RedAndWhiteBaron]

Well I'm one too many cans in the can to argue the ruling you just presented.

But I will still argue that a beard is a safety issue and a nose ring/crazy earring is not.

Tattoos and ear/nose rings? You go! Whatever floats your boat! Those stale crackers in that ridiculously hard to open and unrecyclable package will still taste the same, and I'll still get my luggage at the same time!

[TCAS II]

...the union said that forcing workers to cover their discreet tattoos and remove their additional piercings caused them stress and anxiety.

Really?

[Rooster69]

Didn’t the employees know what the uniform and image standards were before they got hired?

[FatPilot]

F'n A. Good for the goose good for the gander.

I could never bring myself to wear long sleeves shirts so have always forgone my dream of full sleeve tattoos...

Nothing wrong with long sleeve shirts. They are especially nice and warm in the winter. They don't let your bare skin touch the slimy seat arm rests.

I love my long sleeved shirts in the winter.

[Lt. Daniel Kaffee]

Just because you are allowed to wear a beard doesn't mean you should wear one...

(ie about 90% of the people who are currently wearing one at AC)

[ToolShed]

Just because you are allowed to wear a beard doesn't mean you should wear one...

(ie about 90% of the people who are currently wearing one at AC)

Sounds like beard envy to me.

https://youtu.be/C5GC0t9gihI