An Air Transat plane at the Berlin Brandenburg Airport in Schönefeld, Germany. Pilots for the carrier will be briefed next week on a new proposed contract offering double-digit pay increases over five years.IMAGO/Stefan Zeitz Photography/Reuters
Air Transat TRZ-T pilots will vote on a tentative agreement that brings pay raises of between 49 per cent and 67 per cent over the five-year life of the contract, The Globe and Mail has learned.
The agreement between the Montreal-based carrier and the Air Line Pilots’ Association was reached on Tuesday night shortly before a strike deadline set by the union.
The agreement, which must be approved by a majority of votes, would replace a deal reached 10 years ago. The union is presenting the proposed contract to the 750 pilots next week, with ratifications to follow.
The proposed deal would see the most senior captains paid about $387,000 a year by 2029, while a senior first officer would make $238,000 a year. The tentative agreement also includes improved rules on fatigue management and quality of life, and a faster path to the highest-paid cockpit positions.
Transat spokeswoman Alex-Anne Carrier referred questions about details of the agreement to the union.
The union said it would not disclose the contract’s details until they have been presented and explained to the members.
In a statement, Bradley Small, head of the union at Air Transat, said the proposal provides better job security, compensation and work-life balance.
“Our current pilot contract lags significantly behind industry standards in Canada and we believe this new agreement meets the needs of today’s profession, consistent with collective agreements other ALPA-represented pilot groups are signing with their employers,” Mr. Small said.
Ms. Carrier said the proposed deal is good for both sides, allowing pilots to catch up to the wage gains at other airlines while securing efficiency and productivity improvements for the company.
The Globe and Mail is not identifying the sources who provided the details of proposed contract because they are not authorized to speak publicly.
Geraint Harvey, a Western University professor who researches airline labour, said pilots are highly paid because they train intensively and operate with tough schedules in a stressful, safety-sensitive position.
“It’s well paid, but there are so many aspects of this job that make it difficult and stressful it’s kind of understandable that this would cover a wage premium,” Prof. Harvey said.
Generally, he said, it takes years and costs US$100,000 to obtain a commercial pilot’s licence.
Even though they fly the same planes, pilots in Canada are paid less than their counterparts in the United States and Europe due to the smaller market, he said.
What are the proposed pay raises?
Transat groups its pilots in two classes: first officer, who is the most junior in the cockpit, and captain. Within each category there are 10 and 14 seniority rankings, respectively, based on years of service.
Under the new proposal, Air Transat pilots will work a minimum of 75 hours a month, a five-hour reduction from previously.
Under the tentative agreement reached on Tuesday, a newly hired first officer will see their hourly pay rise by 37 per cent to $94 an hour in the first year of the contract.
By 2029, the most junior first officer will be paid $114 an hour, which is a 67-per-cent increase from the expired contract.
A first-year captain gets a raise of 26 per cent in year one to $245 an hour. By 2029, a first-year captain will make $298 an hour, an increase of 53 per cent over the life of the contract.
A captain with 11 years’ service gets a 23-per-cent raise in the first year to $329 an hour. By year five of the contact, the position will pay $400 an hour, a 49-per-cent raise.
For the top-ranked captains with 14 years’ service, they will make $354 an hour in the first year and $430 by 2029.