Should all Canadian air ambulance pilots be unionised?

[Carrier]

Quote on another forum by donut king: “The CHL helicopter pilots flying for the ORNGE contract unionised a few years ago. Senior captains earning 104000 plus overtime now!
One can argue how much you're worth compared to someone else. The reality is...you're worth what you negotiate.
The CHL pilots went from 78k for a senior captain to 104k with their unionised collective agreement in place. And, they are still working for a private company (Canadian Helicopters LTD.)...not public servants working for the government.”

There has been much on various forums about the poor pay for those professional pilots in Canada who do not work for major airlines. Some pilot groups have recently joined unions. Two groups that come to mind are the pilots at Hawkair in BC and those at West Wind Aviation in SK.
It’s surprising that so many air ambulance pilots are not unionised. In many air ambulance operations non-union pilots wear the same government issued uniforms as the unionised medics in the back of the plane. Those pilots earn substantially less than the medics and do not have the same union benefits and protection. As an example of the lack of protection, one air ambulance operator in Alberta is rumoured to have reduced its pilot pay by about 35% early this year. This was supposedly due to the recession. However, there has been no mention of the Alberta government reducing the amount paid to air ambulance operators by a similar proportion and there has been no reduction in the number of flights! It would seem logical that air ambulance pilots should belong to the same union as the medics and other health care workers, earn a comparable level of pay, and receive the same contract benefits and protection as their unionised colleagues.
If the air ambulance pilots all unionised it would set the ball rolling for the rest of the industry. In Alberta the government is currently trying to have all health care workers belong to one union. This would seem to be the time for Alberta air ambulance pilots to become unionised. Is anyone working on this?

[Flatface]

I believe health care is a provincially regulated industry, aviation is a federally regulated industry.

If the pilots unionize in a federally regulated industry as aviation workers, they will have to work under the federal labour rules, conversely, if they unionize as health care workers, they will have to work under provincial labour rules (except were aviation rules apply)

Here in Ontario, to unionize as a health care worker or any other provincially regulated industry is very different and much more difficult than if you try to unionize as an aviation worker.

Here is the difference as I understand it, federally, you must sign up 50% plus 1 members of the work group, I believe you must charge a small fee, like $5, you are now effectively unionized. You now have to negotiate a contract.

Provincially, the rules are similar but in addition to the above rules, a vote is required. The vote is held about a week later, giving the employer time to pressure the members or secretly hire more employees so that when your petition is presented to the governing body, the company trots out the NEW list of employees, demonstrating that you did not meet the minimum numbers required by the provincial rules.

These rule changes took place while Mike Harris and the Conservatives were in power. I do not believe that the Liberals have rolled back these rules.

So, prepare yourselves for all kinds of sneaky tricks and even dirty tricks on both sides. Every one has an agenda, usually, MONEY is at the centre of it. Good luck.

I work in the aviation field, I am an elected union rep, I have benefited from the protection of my union. I am at the end of my career so there is not much left that can sway my opinions one way or the other. Politically, I am a Conservative and vote Conservative at all levels of government.

[Propspinner]

good post. all pilots should be treated equal. on the other hand hawk air laid off right after that due to downsizing which was partially caused by the situation from what many are saying so how far are they ahead?

[Carrier]

Most but not all ambulance drivers/medics in Alberta are represented by the Health Sciences Association of Alberta. It is the policy of the Alberta government to have all represented by this one union. Any Alberta medevac pilots interested in improving their salary, working conditions and job security should contact the HSAA. Its President is Elisabeth Ballermann and the toll free number to its Edmonton office is 1-800-252-7904. Good luck!

As stated earlier, the unionisation of medevac pilots might start the ball rolling for all professional pilots in Canada. Something needs to be done to improve the present circumstances.

[hibypassratio]

Interesting. I'm an Alberta medevac driver and this is the first I have heard of this.:=

[Johnny767]

The LAST thing you want to do, is join a Union that represents Paramedics etc.

If you feel you want to consider a Union, then consider one that has experience representing Pilots.

[wskwong]

what kind of career/training path would one need to take in order to become a medic pilot?

I would imagine it's way more expensive to be trainned as a helicopter pilot than a fix-wing pilot....

[North Shore]

Wong, in Canada, many operators fly medevacs. KingAir 200 is a very common type. In terms of the flying, most governments mandate 500 MPIC to be captain on the machine, but apart from that, there is no specialised training - just a CPL or ATPL, and experience enough to fly the machine. I'd suspect that many operators would prefer you not to have any medical experience, so that you are solely concentrating on getting from A to B, leaving the medicos to do their jobs.

[wskwong]

Thanks for the info.....I would imagine you are saying that for B.C. for example, people who wants to fly for medic will apply for whichever company that is hired by the government to fly medic, in this case, the Helijet?

[hibypassratio]

Helijet has the jet contract with 2 lear 31's. They may have a helicopter contract, but I'm not sure about that. Carson Air runs I think 4 King Air 350's in Vancouver and Kelowna(?). I think there are at least 2 other 350's in the province rune by another operator.

[Carrier]

How long does a union certification process normally take? What is involved? Perhaps someone with recent experience, such as with West Wind Aviation or Hawkair Aviation, would provide an indication. I am curious because the contact information for the applicable union in Alberta has been posted on here for several weeks but there does not seem to be any knowledge of certification progress or action.

Perhaps the lack of action is due to the same old problem of Canadian pilots grousing to each other but being unwilling to do anything to improve their lot. Perhaps these are the same pilots who are ready to undercut their colleagues by flying for free or a pittance, pay for their own job specific training, fly overloaded, hide poor maintenance, and put up with any abuse from smaller air operators (703/704) as part of “paying your dues” on the supposed way to captain of a B747 with a major airline and earning several hundred thousand dollars per annum!

[Flatface]

I believe in this case the workers come under federal regulations. If that is the case, all you have to do is have 50% plus one of eligible workers sign a union card and pay a fee ($5) once that is done you are effectively unionized.

You will have to now negotiate a contract with your employer. In Canada unionizing is enshrined in the constitution, it is fairly straight forward and protected under the law.

To simplify the process, just call any established union and they will send a recruiter over and organize the whole process. You will end up under the umbrella of that union.

Personally, I would prefer a dedicated union dedicated to your specific trade and interests. By belonging to an established union, you pay inflated union dues to them and only a small portion of your funds end up in your local and pay for your particular needs. The benefits are that they have the experience and could expedite the process very quickly.

Good luck.