WestJet flight attendants hold information picket as strike vote takes place

For the second summer in a row, Canadian air travellers are faced with the possibility of a labour disruption at one of the country’s major airlines.

Last August, 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants walked off the job over the issue of unpaid work.

This summer, flight attendants from WestJet and WestJet Encore are threatening to do the same.

Close to 4,400 members of CUPE Local 8125 are in the midst of taking a strike vote that began on July 8 and ends on July 15 – with the results expected the same day.

On Tuesday, the flight attendants showed their support for possible job action by staging information pickets outside the WestJet Campus in Calgary, as well as the international airports in Calgary and Winnipeg.

“WestJet flight attendants are committed to reaching a deal at the table,” says Alia Hussain, president of CUPE Local 8125.

“We are renegotiating or attempting to renegotiate the archaic flight credit system that, through the very nature of how it works, creates an exploitation of labour, which causes flight attendants to have to work up to approximately 35 hours a month of free hours and we are trying to change that,” Hussain said.

Negotiations between the two sides have been ongoing for about 10 months.

Westjet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech, who met briefly with the flight attendants on the picket line in Calgary on Tuesday morning, said the airline recognizes that flight attendants “play an incredibly important role in our business” and need a contract “that is significantly improved in terms of compensation and also in terms of structure.”

“The last contract has been running for five years. It was done in the middle of the pandemic, so there’s a lot of catch-up to be done because they fell behind inflation. So we absolutely recognize that a significant improvement is necessary, and that’s what they’re telling us, and that’s why they’re picketing out there,” von Hoensbroech added.

At the same time, Westjet said in a written statement that it is important to maintain “accessible air travel for Canadians.”

The earliest any job action could take place is August 2, but Hussain is hopeful it won’t come to that.

“WestJet has always been one of the leaders in the industry when it comes to creative solutions, and I’m hopeful that WestJet comes to the table with a solution for this,” Hussain added.

The strike by Air Canada flight attendants last summer was eventually settled after the federal government stepped in and forced the two sides to binding arbitration, which ultimately resulted in a deal being struck.

While passengers face the possibility of job action at WestJet, the union representing 270 pilots at Flair Airlines announced Tuesday that its members have voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new contract agreement with the airline.

The Air Line Pilots Association said the new three-year agreement, which takes effect immediately, “offers meaningful improvements to compensation, retirement, scheduling, career progression, and overall quality of life,” and was approved by 89 per cent of eligible pilots who voted.