By Grant Warkentin
The union representing the cabin crew for WestJet across Canada could call a strike this weekend, if negotiations scheduled to run until Sunday hit an impasse.
Planning has already begun for picket lines at airports across the country; the Comox and Nanaimo airports are on the latest list, but Campbell River, one of WestJet’s newest connections, is not.
Earlier this month, CUPE 8125, the union representing 4,400 cabin crew employees, voted more than 99% in favour of a strike, with more than 97% of union members casting ballots. On August 2, they will be in a legal position to take action.
“Cabin crew care deeply about the people they serve, and we know many Canadians have recognized that our objective has never been to create disruption, but to secure a fair collective agreement,” says a statement from the union’s WestJet Mainline Bargaining Committee published yesterday. “At the same time, our resolve has not changed. We remain fully prepared to exercise our legal rights if that becomes necessary, while continuing to work toward a negotiated agreement that avoids unnecessary disruption for everyone.”
The committee says it’s still “fully focused on reaching a tentative agreement at the bargaining table.”
The union maintains wages, “unpaid work” and working conditions are at the core of the conflict. It claims that cabin crew do an average of 35 hours of “unpaid work” each month, and that wages are not keeping pace with inflation.
Today, WestJet posted a statement on the company website clarifying its positions, and pointed out that its cabin crew are paid using a “credit hour” system, which is the same system used by airlines across North America.
“We’ve heard clearly that many of our crew feel this system requires improvements,” the company said. “We also know their current compensation requires adjustments in the context of inflation, and we take that seriously.
“We’re prepared to make meaningful improvements in both regards.”
The company says it’s committed to working towards a “meaningful” collective agreement with the cabin crew.
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