The Pilots of ALPA - Air Line Pilots Association

THE PILOTS OF ALPA
CanJet
Pilots Looking
Forward to 2011
And Beyond
By Lynn Konwin, ALPA
Senior Communications
Specialist
F/O Adrian Griffiths, CanJet
MEC secretary-treasurer, in
the cockpit of his B-737.
CJA at a Glance
Pilots Joined ALPA: 2006
Number of Pilots: 123
Operations: Provides subcontracting
services to vacation
charter airlines
Pilot Base: Halifax, N.S.
Headquarters: Halifax, N.S.
Domiciles: Vancouver,
Toronto, Montreal
Fleet: 11 B-737-800s
24 Air Line Pilot January/February 2011
Transitions are nothing
new to the pilots of
CanJet. In 2010, the
Halifax-based pilots elected
a new Master Executive
Council (MEC) amidst one of
their busiest hiring periods
in recent history, more
than doubling the number
of CanJet pilots
since their first contract
under ALPA representation
was signed in 2008.
The changes came on
the heels of a challenging
phase that began 2 years
ago. In 2009, the pilot group
made international headlines
after the flight crew of Flight
918, piloted by Capt. James
Murphy and F/O Glenn
Johnson, successfully thwarted
an attempted hijacking.
With the tumultuous repercussions
of that event behind
them, the newly elected
CanJet MEC leaders—Capt.
Alex Sirros, the pilots’ MEC
chairman; Capt. Jon Mason,
the vice chairman; and F/O
Adrian Griffiths, the secretarytreasurer—are
looking forward
to 2011 and beyond.
For 2011, the CanJet
MEC has already begun
taking steps to improve pilot
communications, the first
of which is integrating a
communications process that
engages the pilots. “We’re
eager to get started on this
and a number of goals,” says
Sirros, who has already begun
working on several initiatives
to improve pilot unity.
“Implementing more effective
communications tools is
a key priority for us.”
The MEC is wasting no
time leading efforts to jumpstart
an ambitious plan to
connect the ever-expanding
pilot group, which flies out of
locations from Vancouver to
Halifax. The MEC began with
a quarterly newsletter, The
CanJet Compass, and then
added monthly gatherings
for pilots and their families at
locations near pilot domiciles.
A biweekly “Payday Hotline”
message also goes out to
the pilots to serve as a safety
net for last-minute information
that needs to go out
on a time-driven basis. “We
want to build our present
committees and work with
them to establish their roles
within the MEC structure and
ensure that every one of our
members has the opportunity
to be heard,” Sirros says.
In addition to the communications
efforts, the
CanJet MEC is actively
supporting the mission of
the ALPA Flight Time/Duty
Time (FT/DT) Committee
for Canada, chaired by
Capt. Martin Gauthier (Air
Transat). Griffiths serves
as a representative on this
Committee. “Flight-time/
duty-time issues are not
simply pilot concerns,” says
Griffiths. “They affect every
single person who steps
aboard an airplane. We at
CanJet, along with other
ALPA members, are proud to
be making positive changes
for all airline pilots in Canada
and to further enhance pas-
senger safety.”
Looking ahead, the CanJet
MEC is preparing for collective
bargaining, which is
set to begin in March 2012.
“We are focused on making
sure our pilots familiarize
themselves with the existing
contract,” Sirros says. “We
want our pilots to know that
they can reach out to the
MEC for help if they need it. If
the MEC is not aware of what
is going on, then we cannot
help. I cannot stress how
important it is for our pilots
to keep the MEC informed
of situations encountered on
the line.” Mason agrees that
“it’s important we recognize
the value of learning from our
past experiences.”
CanJet pilots became ALPA
members in July 2006 and
ratified their first collective
agreement in May 2008. The
4-year agreement provides
CanJet with job stability, enabling
management to focus
full time on building CanJet
as Canada’s premier charter
airline. The airline operates
an all-next-generation fleet of
B-737-800s that increase fuel
efficiency and range while
reducing noise and carbon
emissions.
With progress also comes
challenge. The CanJet MEC is
currently working to resolve
a scheduling grievance.
Establishing timely resolutions
to issues such as crew
scheduling, base grievances,
and master seniority list
bidding will continue to be
priorities for the MEC as it
continues to chart a course
for 2011. “CanJet pilots are
consistently hard workers,
often putting in long hours to
provide the top-notch service
the passengers have come to
expect,” says Sirros. “At the
end of the day, our pilots have
gone the extra mile to do the
best job possible.”