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First, we would like to inform you that the writing of the new agreement is progressing rapidly, and we expect it to be signed and in force before the end of the month.
Secondly, something happened recently following a discussion with Fernando and Marc-André. I don't want to point out the event itself, but rather the mechanism used to prevent a similar event from happening again.
Here is a fictitious example to illustrate the mechanism: A pilot calls in sick 30 minutes before his showtime at 7am. There is no R1 that day, only an R2. Dispatch sends a text message to the R2 pilot asking if he can be there at 8am for a 9am takeoff. The latter accepts, on condition that he is paid overtime for his day, since he starts his showtime earlier than his scheduled R2, and the dispatch accepts.
In our example, dispatch should have refused to pay overtime as this is against our agreement. The seniority for O/T was not respected. In fact, the pilot should not have made this request. He should either have accepted if it was to his advantage (e.g., he had a dinner planned and the flight came back before dinner, so he had a much better chance of being able to go than if he refused and was assigned a flight later in the day) or refused. By refusing, dispatch would have continued its procedure to cover the flight, including, when the time came, the request for overtime for legally available pilots (including the R2 pilot).
Logically, we're not talking about accepting or refusing a flight for safety reasons. When it comes to safety (weather, fatigue, etc.), do everything in your power to keep flights safe. Our message here is that if you ever get a request from dispatch (that doesn't concern safety) outside the collective agreement, you have 2 choices: accept if it's to your personal advantage that day, or refuse if you see no point in accepting, but under no circumstances argue or negotiate.
Your MEC
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