Flight attendants at WestJet, Canada’s second-largest airline, initiated a strike on Sunday due to a disagreement over pay. Represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the 4,400 cabin crew members announced the strike via Facebook, pushing WestJet to cancel over 300 flights during a busy three-day weekend.
The conflict centers on the payment for tasks performed while flight attendants are still on the ground. The union argues that some of this work is unpaid. Conversely, WestJet contends its employees are compensated through a ‘credit hour’ system instead of an hourly rate.
‘We presented a proposal that would have set a new standard for cabin crew in Canada, making WestJet the only airline to offer an hourly rate covering all time before and after flights, plus a double-digit wage increase in year one among other priorities the union raised,’ said Alexis von Hoensbroech, CEO of the WestJet Group. ‘Unfortunately, it wasn’t accepted.’
Alia Hussain, president of the union chapter representing the cabin crew, stated that negotiators attempted to secure a fair deal that acknowledges the value of the cabin crews’ work, but WestJet’s offer did not go far enough.
Both parties express willingness to continue negotiations to reach an agreement. Meanwhile, WestJet announced that it could not operate its scheduled flights on Boeing 737s or 787s, promising refunds or alternative arrangements for travelers. Customers who booked directly with WestJet will be contacted via email, whereas those who reserved through travel agents or third-party platforms should contact them directly.
Despite the strike, WestJet Encore flights using Q400 aircraft and code-share flights with partner airlines remain unaffected. The situation mirrors last summer’s Air Canada strike, which also involved the issue of ground-based work payment and disrupted travel for over 100,000 passengers before a resolution was reached.