September 16, 2025
Participants for AMFA
Earl Clark – Region I Director
Collin Ayotte – Airline Representative
Lucas Middlebrook – Legal Counsel
Peter Manikowski – Economist
Participants for Calm Air
Randi McCallum – Vice President of HR & Payroll
Tim Kroeker – Vice President of Maintenance / PRM
Darcy Mawby – Director of Maintenance
Britney Bella – HRIS/Payroll Manager
The AMFA-Calm Air Negotiating Committee (“Committee”) is providing this update to the membership at Calm Air International LP (“Calm Air” or "the Company”). This is the only official source of negotiating communications by the Committee.
Session Summary
The Parties met in Winnipeg (September 8-11, 2025) for a four-day collective bargaining session. The Parties reached TA on four articles during this session:
- Article 6 – Layoff and Recall
- Article 16 – Seniority / Job Postings
- Article 31 – Classifications
- Article 33 – Benefits [Language was previously in Article 11 Sick Leave - is now in its own Article]
This brings the total number of TA’d articles from the first four sessions to twenty. In addition, your AMFA Committee worked diligently throughout the week and into the last day of this session to finalize proposals on the remaining open articles. At conclusion of Day 4, AMFA also presented its comprehensive economic term sheet. The Company owes counters on all open articles, including a response to AMFA’s economic term sheet. Your Committee expects the Company to be prepared with these responses at beginning of the next session to move negotiations forward.
The next bargaining session is scheduled for September 23-25 in Winnipeg. We would like to thank all the observers that attended this session. Your support is greatly appreciated. We also thank the members that have reached out to express gratitude for AMFA bringing your voice to the table and informing the Company of the issues important to you. If any member wishes to attend the September 23-25 session as an observer, please contact your Airline Representative (“ALR”), Collin Ayotte.
Please continue reading for a day-by-day breakdown of last week’s negotiation session.
Day One
The Company, at the beginning of Day 1, presented counterproposals to Article 6 – Layoff and Recall and Article 16 – Seniority. With these proposals, the Parties moved closer to tentative agreement (TA) on both articles. The Company then presented its first counterproposal to Article 27 – Union Business. Prior to presentation of the article, the Company complained about the extent of AMFA’s proposal. We remained resolute. AMFA explained how this article was important to develop the AMFA structure to support a robust representation of our members and defense of your contractual rights. The Parties had a productive discussion on this topic and once the Company understands the value of such a productive labor relationship, we do not envision further deep disputes about this article.
AMFA, in the afternoon of Day 1, confirmed the Parties had reached TA on Article 16 – Seniority. AMFA also presented a counterproposal for Article 6 – Layoff and Recall, which sought to further clarify a fair and orderly process in the event of a layoff. AMFA also presented a counterproposal on Article 27 – Union Business that made movement toward the Company while maintaining the AMFA structure, which provides the contractual protection to represent your interests and protect your rights. Prior to conclusion of Day 1, AMFA presented its first proposal on Article 28 - Sub-Contracting, which we have proposed to rename Scope/Sub-Contracting. The Company had not yet responded to the portion of our information request under the Canada Labour Code that sought specific material regarding the extent of the Company’s subcontracting. We informed the Company we reserved all rights with respect to that pending information request but made the Article 28 proposal at this time to protect your work – especially considering the Company’s past subcontracting decisions in Thompson.
Day Two
Day 2 began with the Company presenting counterproposals on Article 6 – Layoff and Recall and Article 31 – Classifications. The Parties engaged in productive dialogue and the Company counterproposals moved these articles closer to TA. AMFA went to work immediately in caucus reviewing both articles and formulating counters. In the afternoon, AMFA presented a counterproposal on Article 31 – Classifications and Article 6 – Layoff and Recall. In addition, AMFA explained to the Company how it was prepared to move the Benefits language out of Sick Leave where it previously resided and into its own standalone article, which AMFA presented as Article 33 – Benefits. AMFA’s proposal sought to maintain the current Benefits structure with language cleanups.
Day Three
The Company, on the morning of Day 3, presented counterproposals on four separate articles: Article 33 – Benefits; Article 31 – Classifications; Article 6 – Layoff and Recall; and Article 28 – Scope/Sub-contracting. With these counterproposals, the Parties were able to reach TA on Article 31 – Classifications and were close to TA on Article 33 – Benefits and Article 6 – Layoff and Recall. The Parties engaged in further discussion related to Article 28 – Scope/Sub-contracting and had off-the-record discussions related to Article 27 – Union Business. Following this exchange, AMFA presented its first proposal on Article 14 – Shift Scheduling. We heard your voices and developed language designed to capture some current practice, provide stability with respect to your schedules, including among other items an earlier schedule release and restrictions related to changes following schedule release. We also included proposed provisions that would strengthen the existing “Shift Trade” language. The Parties discussed this proposal on and off-the-record and then caucused for the remainder of the morning to work internally.
AMFA presented a counterproposal on Article 28 – Scope/Sub-contracting at the outset of the afternoon. The Parties aligned on certain parts of this article, but more work remained related to job protection components. With this, we explained AMFA’s focus on protecting jobs. The Company, following a caucus, presented a counterproposal on Article 14 – Shift Schedule. The Company’s counter moved in the direction of accomplishing the schedule stability you requested, but more work was needed before a TA could be reached, including discussion related to GSE coverage of unstaffed locations such as Baker Lake and Arviat. AMFA reiterated how important these scheduling items were to you, Calm Air’s hardworking maintenance employees. The Parties were able, after some language cleanups, to reach TA on Article 6 – Layoff and Recall and Article 33 - Benefits before conclusion of Day 3.
Day Four
The fourth day began with the Company presenting another counterproposal on Article 27 – Union Business. However, given the Company’s lack of movement and certain issues tied to economics, AMFA proposed tabling the open issues of this article until the later in the negotiation process. The Company also presented another counterproposal on Article 28 – Scope/Subcontracting. Even with this counter the Parties continued to remain apart on language related to job protection. AMFA then presented a counterproposal on Article 14 – Shift Scheduling, which aimed to address some of the Company’s concerns while continuing to focus on the schedule stability you have indicated is important to you.
In the afternoon, AMFA presented its first proposal for Article 11 – which AMFA renamed Overtime. This article contained some existing language from the present Call Out article and current provisions from the Banked Overtime article. In addition, the proposal included new language intended to create a fair and orderly volunteer process by which overtime is administered. AMFA also presented another counterproposal on Article 28 – Scope/Sub-contracting with the remaining open language focused on certain job protection provisions. The Parties engaged in discussion regarding this article before caucusing.
Upon return from caucus, AMFA presented a new article: Article 23 – Field Service. This article was focused on an orderly and equitable process by which field trips, such as rescue missions, AOGs and out-of-service GSE equipment trips would be administered and distributed to volunteers. Like the Overtime article, the proposal focused on a structured system built around volunteers willing to travel for this work. After presentation and discussion related to the new Field Service article, AMFA presented its comprehensive economic term sheet.
Day four concluded with AMFA making its first Economic Term Sheet proposal. AMFA was fully prepared having studied multiple angles for our economic proposals. We advised the Company that maintenance employee wages in Canada are moving upward in response to the market; and that you are falling behind. Some amount of catch-up, therefore, is needed. We also informed the Company that AMFA used proposals from our membership surveys and the ALR’s knowledge of the operation to guide our Economic Term Sheet.
The Term Sheet sought to accelerate vacation accruals for members with five or more years of service. We also proposed to increase the vacation carry-over and payout of unused vacation. Our Term Sheet included increased sick-leave days and a carry-over or pay-out of unused sick days. Next, we included provisions that would clarify when Overtime would be paid, and the rates of overtime pay. Separately we included provisions for Rescue Mission pay.
The Term Sheet included proposals to increase pension contributions in line with maintenance employees in Canada. We note that your Pension contributions are based only on your Wage Base, and not your “All-In” hourly rate, so our proposals provided different solutions to increase your overall contributions. Our Term Sheet made many clarifications to the dated language in Article 18 - Wages and Article 19 – Per Diem. For wages we proposed a percentage-based ACA premium and language that will equalize existing employees who, in the same classification, might be making less per hour of a new hire employee hired above Step 1. We also clarified AMFA’s definition of All-In pay for your hourly pay computations.
On Per Diem we made proposals that would bring your per diem in line with Canada Federal Government employees; we see this as a common approach in Canada and very similar to Calm Air pilot per diem. For travel time, we proposed practical improvements to how travel time is reimbursed and situations where you are required to work in lieu of travel in the event of a cancelled flight.
Finally, we proposed hourly rates that would bring your wages in line with other carriers performing the same work as you in the tight AME labor market in Canada. Our proposal included retroactive pay to May 2025 to remunerate you for time since your expected raise in that month. For Northern Premiums, we sought to clarify the existing language to capture all combinations of how you work in the North.
We look forward to continued negotiations with Calm Air on wages and economic issues with the goal of rewarding your prior work and future dedicated work to this carrier. You make Calm Air fly, and in turn, the Company should pay you accordingly.
Remember - stay engaged, remain informed, and continue to support the Negotiating Committee. Our solidarity will produce a CA that your hard work has earned.
Fraternally,
Your AMFA-Calm Negotiating Committee
