WestJet has cancelled 81 flights scheduled for Aug. 1 ahead of an announced strike by the airline’s flight attendants and after a lockout notice by the airline.
Citing an inability to reach an agreement with Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 8125—the union representing cabin crew and flight attendants at WestJet and WestJet Encore—the airline issued the cancellations.
“To ensure the integrity of WestJet’s network, and to minimize the risk of stranding guests and aircraft, the airline has started to issue cancellations and reduce flying,” WestJet said in a July 31 statement. “These actions ensure the airline has complete control of its operations and can communicate with guests and crew to minimize people being stranded.”
The company wrote that it recognized the professionalism of cabin crew, and that negotiations were ongoing.
In a separate statement released July 31, the company said it was parking 737 aircraft, but that WestJet Encore flights operated on a Q400, as well as codeshare flights operated by airline partners, would remain unaffected.
The company also posted a list of commonly asked questions with answers. It explained that parking aircraft is a temporary measure and does not mean the aircraft are being permanently removed from service. The measure is meant to ensure operational stability and consolidate schedules, it said, adding that it is providing impacted travellers with alternative travel options.
“We are proactively communicating with affected guests and working to make the rebooking process as smooth as possible,” it said.
WestJet is legally required under Canada’s Air Passenger Protection Regulations to ensure affected passengers can complete their itinerary or receive a full refund if a flight is delayed by three or more hours or cancelled.
In its most recent travel advisory update, the company said that passengers booked on flights travelling between July 30 and Aug. 4 can make a free one-time change or cancellation, and that those on affected flights would be contacted directly by the airline.
The first formal announcement of potential strike action came on July 9 when CUPE 8125 opened a strike vote for WestJet’s approximately 4,400 flight attendants, citing “key issues, including wages, compensation, scheduling, work-life balance, and other workplace improvements identified by members throughout the bargaining process.”
The union says the central issue is unpaid work, saying that flight attendants are seeking compensation for all hours worked, including check-in and post-flight duties, rather than only the time an aircraft is moving.
WestJet has said all duties are compensated through a “credit hour” system, rather than an hourly rate.
The union has said that an average of 35 hours per month remain unpaid due to WestJet’s current credit system, but the company disagreed.
On July 15, 99.4 percent of union members had voted in favour of strike action, making a strike legally possible as early as Aug. 2 if no agreement was reached. The union served a 72-hour strike notice on July 30, saying that negotiations were continuing despite remaining differences.
WestJet said it responded to the union’s strike notice by issuing a 72-hour lockout notice.
In the union’s July 30 statement, WestJet flight attendant and local union president Alia Hussain said there was “still time to avoid a strike.”
“We will continue to bargain around the clock until this is resolved … We look forward to further discussions with WestJet at the table so we can resolve this before August 2nd,” she said.
Jennifer Cowan contributed to this report.
