WestJet, Canada's second-largest airline, has reached a tentative agreement with its flight attendants, aiming to end a strike that resulted in hundreds of flight cancellations and stranded thousands of passengers. The union representing the flight attendants, CUPE 8125, stated that if the deal is ratified, the work flight attendants perform before flights take off will be officially recognized. A primary point of contention in the dispute was the compensation for duties performed by flight attendants while on the ground. The union asserted that some of this work was unpaid, while the airline maintained that staff were compensated through a "credit hour" system rather than an hourly rate.
With the tentative agreement in place, flight attendants are set to return to work, pending a ratification vote by the union membership. The strike, which involved 4,400 cabin crew members, led to the cancellation of 495 flights on Sunday alone, disrupting travel plans during a long holiday weekend and affecting an estimated 250,000 travelers, according to WestJet. Some passengers faced difficulties finding accommodations or rescheduling flights.
Prior to the strike, WestJet had proposed a package that included a 13% wage increase in October, followed by annual increases of 2.5% for the next three years, retroactive pay to the previous January, and additional compensation for all hours worked, along with other benefit upgrades. However, Alia Hussain, president of the union, had previously stated that the airline's offer did not go far enough.
This labor dispute echoes a similar situation last summer when flight attendants at Air Canada, the country's largest carrier, went on strike over issues including unpaid groundwork. That work stoppage lasted three days before an agreement was reached.