(Calgary) WestJet has cancelled at least 150 flights after the airline's aircraft maintenance union announced it was striking hours earlier.
The Aircraft Mechanics Association (AMFA) announced that its members began the strike at around 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday because “the airline's unwillingness to negotiate with the union made a strike inevitable.”
The move comes as the federal government on Thursday ordered binding arbitration to resolve a dispute between the airline and its mechanics.
Over the course of two weeks, difficult discussions were held with the union with the aim of reaching a new collective agreement.
In an update to its 680 members, the union bargaining committee cited an order from the Canada Industrial Relations Board that does not expressly prohibit strikes or lockouts while the tribunal takes over arbitration at the direction of Labor Minister Seamus O'Regan on Wednesday.
Photo by Sean Kilpatrick, Canadian Press Archives
Federal Labor Minister Seamus O'Regan
On Saturday morning, Mr. O'Regan said he was reviewing the Canadian Industrial Relations Board's order because it was not “consistent” with its instructions. “I will consider taking additional measures to protect the interests of the employer, the union and all Canadians traveling during this national holiday,” he said on social media network X.
Officials at Calgary-based WestJet criticized the machinists' union's decision on Friday, saying they were “extremely outraged by these actions” and saying they would hold AMFA “fully responsible for the unnecessary stress and costs that have resulted.”
Early Saturday, WestJet President Dedrick Penn said in a statement that the strike “serves no one” and that “the scale of this intentional disruption is devastating.”
WestJet said Thursday that AMFA is complying with the arbitration order and as a result “there will be no strike or lockout and the airline will no longer cancel its flights.”
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Sean McVey, a WestJet aircraft maintenance engineer who was on the picket line at Terminal 3 at Toronto's Pearson International Airport on Saturday, said the strike was an attempt to force the airline to return to “honoring bargaining,” adding that the union regretted any inconvenience caused to passengers.
“The reason why (passengers) miss a flight or have to cancel is because WestJet doesn’t respectfully sit down at the table and negotiate,” he said, along with about two dozen other people on the picket line.
He stressed that employees are demanding better working conditions and a “fair and respectable salary” because they bear “a lot of responsibilities.”
Earlier this month, mechanics overwhelmingly rejected a tentative deal with WestJet, prompting the airline to seek government intervention.
The defect is in the administration, not in the union.
Sean McPhee, WestJet aircraft maintenance engineer
Gabor Lukács, head of the air traveler rights group, believes “the fault lies with management, not the union.” “From a business management perspective, WestJet did not handle the situation well and needs to address the situation,” he said in a phone interview.
He said WestJet is required by law to find alternative travel arrangements for stranded passengers within 48 hours, either on another of its flights or with a competitor.
People can also request a refund, but Mr Lukash advises against that.
“I urge passengers not to accept refunds. If you accept a refund, WestJet can wash its hands of its obligations to you.”
Friday's change of heart appears to have shocked travelers and executives alike.
“Is my Sunday commute in jeopardy?” asked Andrew Wheatley, of Edmonton, in a message on the social network X. “I support the union’s right to strike if it’s legal. I hope they get a good deal. But at the same time, I have to be at work Monday morning.”
This isn’t the first time WestJet has been on the brink of a strike. Last year, the airline avoided a strike in the early hours of the May long weekend, but only before more than 230 flights were cancelled and thousands were forced to change their travel plans.
This could affect up to 20,000 passengers.
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