A labour dispute at WestJet has moved to the brink of a walkout, with more than 4,000 flight attendants at the airline potentially able to walk off the job as of Sunday. The escalation comes just ahead of the busy August long weekend, raising the prospect of travel disruption for passengers heading away during one of the year's peak periods.
The union representing WestJet flight attendants says it has issued a 72-hour strike notice, paving the way for a possible strike. Officials stressed it is not a certainty, but job action could happen as soon as Sunday at 12:01 Mountain Time if the two sides do not reach an agreement before then.
WestJet did not stay silent in the face of the notice. In a statement, the airline said it has responded with its own 72-hour lockout notice, and warned that flights could be canceled, some flights anyway, beginning as soon as Friday, meaning the effects could be felt even before the strike deadline arrives.
Behind the notices, negotiations are still going on. Bargaining talks between the union and the airline are ongoing, but the two sides remain far apart on some key issues, leaving open the question of whether a deal can be reached in the narrow window before the deadline.
One of those key sticking points is what the union refers to as unpaid work. That covers tasks such as the time flight attendants spend on the ramp before departure, including delays of flights taking off when the crews were already at the airport, work the union argues should be compensated under a different system.
The fight over that pay is not new, and it is not confined to WestJet. The union has fought for it for a number of years, and it is described as an international movement rather than a purely Canadian one. CUPE is vested in getting the pattern that was set at Air Canada spread to WestJet, and then again to Air Transat.
For travelers caught in the middle, WestJet has offered some flexibility. The airline is allowing passengers with flights scheduled anytime between July 30th and August 4th to make a one-time change or to cancel their flight at no cost. Passengers spoken to at the airport appeared to be taking the uncertainty in stride, with some saying they planned to wait and see what happens before adjusting their plans.