WestJet and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) have reached a tentative agreement Monday—ending a roughly 28-hour strike that led to cancellations of over 600 flights.
“This tentative agreement represents meaningful progress,” said CUPE 8125 President Alia Hussain. “It evolves the flight credit system by recognizing more of the work cabin crew are required to perform and with general increases to compensation for that work.”
WestJet has yet to provide details on the details of the agreement, which will be presented to cabin crew members for a ratification vote.
Chief Executive Officer of WestJet, Alexis von Hoensbroach said that “[they] are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement that reflects the hard work and professionalism of our cabin crew.”
On July 30, CUPE Local 8125, which represents 4,400 of WestJet’s cabin crew members, issued a 72-hour strike notice due to stalled contract negotiations over unpaid ground time, low wages, and a high volume of uncompensated safety and boarding duties.
In response, WestJet issued a lockout notification, which is a legal warning from the employer that states they will refuse to let employees work and stop paying them unless a labor agreement is reached by a specific deadline.
Following this, WestJet cancelled 276 flights in order to avoid standing crews and tabled a last-minute contract offer that included a 13 per cent immediate pay hike and ground duty premiums.
On Aug. 2, the deadline passed without a signed contact with over 4,200 flight attendants launching a work stoppage, and flight cancellations rose to over 600 total flights.
On Monday, WestJet and cabin crew members reached a tentative agreement. WestJet slowly resumes its operations and the union prepares for members to vote on ratification.
“To our members, thank you for your solidarity throughout this process. We also want to thank the public, labour organizations, and everyone who supported cabin crew as we worked toward a fair resolution,” said Hussain.
In a statement from Sunwing and WestJet Media, they said “WestJet will not comment further on the details of the tentative agreement until the ratification process is complete. During any ratification, a strike or lockout is not possible, meaning customers can plan, book, and travel with WestJet with certainty.”
