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Calgary Update
By Angus Wilson, Director of Aviation Services
What a year we have had already! I would like to start by thanking every employee for their hard work and dedication as we traverse our way through these uncertain times.
I am not going to talk about COVID-19 and the impact it has on the operation, as we all know the effect it has caused and how we are working through each changing day. What I am going to highlight is some of the excellent work that has happened over the last three months.
Collective Bargaining Agreement
Firstly, we would like to welcome UFCW 401 as the union representation to our employees. As you are aware, the Collective Bargaining Agreement has been signed and is in effect.
What does this mean? A collective agreement is a written agreement between a trade union and an employer. It is a contract setting out the terms and conditions of employment for each employee covered by the agreement. It is binding on all employees covered. The parties can put into a collective agreement any language that they agree on, specifying the terms and conditions of employment.
For example, that language otherwise known as provisions, may deal with wages, vacations, hours of work, seniority and promotions, layoffs and recall or benefit plans. A necessary provision contained in most collective agreements relates to the employee’s relationship to the union. All collective agreements need a grievance and arbitration provision that allows disputes about the meaning and operation of the agreement to be settled without a work stoppage. A union is not required to arbitrate all grievances; many are resolved through discussion. However, a union has a duty to represent employees fairly in matters arising out of the collective agreement.
STOP Program
We held a Townhall introducing an employee reward and recognition program called the STOP program. The Security Threat Observation Program (STOP) is comprised of training and an incentive program to recognize the individuals who identify the most security threats during a monthly period.
We encourage you to continue to work on the program and, by doing so, enhance the service delivery we are offering to the Calgary Airport Authority.
We have held a workshop with the following attendees: Angus Wilson, Elizabeth Warwick, Daniel McCormack, Ron Greenberg, Dan Watkins, Shannon Jacobson, Ronnie Dias, Shaun Devaux and Laraib Khan. We discussed the potential of improving security procedures and improving our service delivery through access points.
Several excellent suggestions were brought forward, which we are currently working on to not only improve the service delivery to our client, but to provide more significant support and assistance to our employees at these locations.
Shift Bid
Finally, we held a shift bid to realign all the shifts as per the request of many security guards and to be compliant with the CBA. This went without any hiccups – thank you to you and the team for working through this process. In addition to this, we have also realigned the shift supervisors back into teams. By doing this, it will create a better structure for the operation and create a better team spirit.
In closing, we have had a very active first quarter of the year. If anything is evident, it shows how well we as a team, adapt to the ever-changing environment that is working at an airport. I would like to reiterate my appreciation to the whole ASP team for their incredible efforts and support in making this operation the best it can be.