The more things change...the more they stay the same...

[Flying Low]

Tentative Agreement between Jazz Air and the Pilots (ALPA) ratified July 9, 2010. Jazz Air reneges on part of the agreement August 13, 2010. Wow...they waited a whole month. Not a clue about employee relations apparently.

[Bede]

What part did they renege on?

[prop2jet]

There should be no surprise here. The renege on the part of the Company is with respect to how 3.8 million / year in "Benefit" corrections is to be distributed. During the TA roadshows we were all sold on the fact that this amount would go towards offsetting the cost of our benefits, essentially providing the existing group what amounts to having to pay 50% less than the current amount. This offset would dilute if the number of pilots were to increase. The Company from what I understand, though not officially, is that the amounts should go towards offsetting the cost of the Long Term Disability.

Whatever the case may be, it was foolish for the MEC to have not have this "set in stone" prior to presenting the TA for ratification. I am not the least bit surprised by this news. The moral of the story is that nothing with respect to Management / Labour relations will ever change at Jazz until the existing senior management is replaced. Stayed tuned for more turbulence ahead.

This dispute will now make it's way through to arbitration which will take it's time to resolve.

[habs]

The intent of the 3.8 is clear in the MOS. This part was negotiated during the Ottawa talks from what I understand. Attributing the funds to LTD in the CA was for tax purposes to keep the money tax free, but in fact it is to offset more than just LTD. The company knows this and agreed to this but they want to play dumb now and go to arbitration and piss the whole group off. That's ok and perhaps a blessing in disguise. As we tumble from #1 in OTP to #10 and then #15 and so on, eventually the BOD will sniff around and hopefull realise the problem lies at the very top of Jazz and hopefully make the necessary changes.

This 1950's mgmt style has got to go and the pilots are the best suited group to make it happen. So take your time at work and be safe as usual. After 6 or 12 months of not meeting Ensemble targets and losing out on AC $ (which might amount to more than 3.8 mil !), heads just might roll.

At any rate, I think we'll win the arbitration. We always do.

[countryhick]

joseph.randell@flyjazz.ca