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A work stoppage looms for 4,400 flight attendants at Canada’s second-largest air carrier after their union issued a 72-hour strike notice early Thursday morning. WestJet responded to the union’s move by issuing a 72-hour lockout notice.
For summer travellers worried about what this means for their plans, here’s what you need to know.
When could a strike or lockout begin?
The flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) have signalled the intent to go on strike, with negotiations continuing during a 72-hour notice period.
The notice period runs out on Sunday at 12:01 a.m. MT, or 2:01 a.m. ET, which is the earliest a strike could begin if a deal is not reached. It’s possible the two sides may come to an agreement earlier, or continue negotiating past the deadline if they are close to a deal.
WestJet said in a news release on Thursday that it is still actively negotiating to reach a deal. In a separate release, CUPE said the same.
Will all WestJet flights be cancelled?
WestJet has said the notices issued by the union and the airline do not immediately affect operations.
However, if the two sides are not able to come to a tentative agreement, some flights could start to be grounded by Friday.
WestJet said that in the coming days it will communicate with ticket-holders in advance of changes or cancellations to their flights.
Travellers booked on its regional WestJet Encore service or code-share flights run by an airline partner such as Delta Air Lines will not be affected by a strike, the carrier said.
What should I know about my upcoming flight?
Ahead of the potential strike, WestJet has been allowing passengers travelling between July 30 and Aug. 4 to make a one-time change or cancellation with no fees.
If delays or cancellations occur, the airline said affected passengers will be refunded or re-accommodated as applicable.
But only passengers with certain kinds of bookings can get a refund back to their original form of payment. Those who booked PremiumFlex and BusinessFlex flights, or premium and business passengers travelling between Canada and Asia, can get their cash back, and others will get a refund in the form of a travel credit.
The airline said travellers who booked with WestJet directly will be notified of any changes through the contact information provided in their booking, and those who booked through a third party such as a travel agent will have to make changes through the third party.
T.J. Dunn, a Vancouver-based travel expert and writer, says if WestJet cancels flights it has a responsibility to rebook passengers via other airlines — but that could be easier said than done on a busy summer long weekend.
WestJet passengers are scrambling to make new arrangements after thousands of flight attendants issued a 72-hour strike notice, to which the airline responded with a lockout notice. Flight attendants could be off the job by Sunday if no new deal is reached.
Previous labour standoffs in the aviation industry have led to increased flight cancellations a few days before a strike.
As of midday on Thursday, WestJet didn’t appear to have started cancelling flights.
How did we get here?
On July 15, WestJet flight attendants approved a strike mandate if the two sides are not able to reach a deal.
Union members voted 99 per cent in favour of the strike mandate, with turnout topping 97 per cent. Following a cooling-off period, the cabin crew could go on strike as soon as Aug. 2, which is a long weekend in most of the country.
On July 14, CUPE held rallies across the country in a “day of action” as part of a public-relations campaign. At the Calgary rally, some 250 WestJet flight attendants stood side by side in front of the airline’s headquarters. Meanwhile, ads have appeared on various platforms arguing the cabin crews’ case.
CUPE represented around 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants who went on strike last summer and ultimately secured compensation increases. Ottawa intervened less than 12 hours after their strike began, requesting the Canada Industrial Relations Board end the strike and send the parties to binding arbitration.
But the board’s order was defied by union officials, leading it to declare the strike unlawful. Air Canada workers remained on the picket lines until the two sides came to a tentative deal three days into the strike.
Air Canada is not impacted by the WestJet strike, despite workers at both companies being represented by CUPE.
What is this dispute all about?
Compensation for work done on the ground remains a key stumbling block in the talks, less than a year after the same issue sparked a work stoppage by Air Canada flight attendants.
The union has characterized certain ground duties as unpaid, but WestJet describes it differently.
WestJet’s current “credit hour” system combines flight time, ground duties, delays and other labour into a “single, higher rate of pay” that is then credited across the work day, the company says on its website.
The pay rate ranges between $28.88 and $53.61 per credit hour, the company says. At 80 credit hours a month — considered full-time work — that adds up to between $2,300 and $4,300.
Many airlines operate under a similar structure, but Delta Air Lines spearheaded reforms in 2022 when it became the first carrier in North America to pay flight attendants specifically for work done on the ground. American Airlines and Alaska Airlines followed suit with boarding pay of 50 per cent of regular rates.
