WestJet Flight Attendants Strike After Talks Collapse

WestJet says those duties are covered by a “credit hour” system that bundles flight time and ground duties into a single rate of pay, ranging from $28.88 to $53.61 per credit hour, according to the company. “We will continue to bargain around the clock until this is resolved,” she said, according to ABC News. “We want a fair contract for our members that recognizes the value of flight attendants’ work.”

WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said in a statement that the lockout notice was not issued lightly and that the airline remained committed to reaching an agreement. Ahead of the deadline, WestJet had already cancelled 198 flights by Saturday afternoon, CBC News reported. Travellers with bookings between July 30 and August 4 were offered a one-time change or cancellation without fees, though refunds to original payment methods applied only to certain fare classes.

The strike began on the Sunday of a Canadian long weekend, when demand for travel is high. John Gradek, a lecturer in aviation management at McGill University, told ABC News that WestJet flies roughly 75,000 passengers a day on just over 600 flights and that the union’s timing was deliberate. Under Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations, affected passengers must be rebooked within 48 hours or offered a refund, and the airline may have to use a competitor if necessary.

Last summer, Air Canada flight attendants, also represented by CUPE, went on strike for three days before reaching a deal, with unpaid ground work a key sticking point. In that case, Ottawa intervened within hours, but the labour board’s back-to-work order was defied, and the walkout continued until a tentative agreement was reached. WestJet had responded to the strike notice with a lockout notice of its own, but both sides were still negotiating as recently as Saturday.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents about 4,400 flight attendants at Canada’s second-largest carrier, had signalled the intent to strike after members voted 99 per cent in favour of a strike mandate on July 15, CBC News reported. Turnout in that vote exceeded 97 per cent. A central issue in the dispute is compensation for work flight attendants perform on the ground, such as boarding and deplaning, which the union describes as unpaid.

The airline said the cancellations were meant to avoid stranding passengers and crew.