WestJet flights are grounded and the airline's operations are at a standstill after more than 4,000 flight attendants went on strike early this morning, according to a report by CBC News. The walkout came when their union and the airline failed to reach a contract deal.
Flight attendants hit the picket line at airports across the country, according to the report. Picket lines were seen at Toronto's Pearson International Airport and at Calgary International Airport.
The two sides had been in contract negotiations since last September and remain at odds over key issues, according to CBC News. Among them is compensation for the work that flight attendants do on the ground before and after flights.
Flight attendants want to be paid more, but they also want to be paid for the time they spend before the flight takes off, according to the report. They are not currently paid for all of the time they spend helping passengers board.
WestJet claims that it is willing to pay its flight attendants for that time, according to CBC News. The airline said it is offering the flight attendants a package that will set a new standard, but a deal was not reached by the midnight deadline of 12:01 a.m.
Talks are continuing in Calgary between the airline and the union, according to the report. A union representative said the bargaining committee is committed to staying at the table to try to reach a deal that is fair and can be brought back to the flight attendants.
A federal mediator is involved, and the federal jobs minister is in Calgary and has been speaking to both sides, according to CBC News. At this time there is no legislation being used to send the workers back to work, and at Calgary International, WestJet's major hub, travelers described confusion and frustration as they tried to rebook their flights.