WestJet cancels flights after union announces second strike

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A possible strike by WestJet aircraft mechanics would disrupt the travel plans of 250,000 customers over the long Canada Day weekend, the airline said – and cost millions of dollars.

This would also come just a week before the Calgary Stampede, which welcomes thousands of visitors from other cities to Calgary, causing significant travel disruption as the summer travel season comes to a close.

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The Calgary-based airline has already started canceling flights. Around 25 flights have been cancelled for Thursday and Friday as the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) is facing possible industrial action. The AMFA is threatening to picket as early as 5:30 p.m. MDT on Friday.

So far, five WestJet flights scheduled for Thursday from Calgary International Airport have been cancelled, but it is unclear whether these cancellations are related to the possible strike.

WestJet’s decision to concentrate its fleet of 180 aircraft already affects around 3,300 customers and is intended to prevent aircraft from being abandoned at distant locations, stranding passengers and crew.

Strike would be a heavy blow for Calgary before Stampede

If the strike goes ahead, it would cause significant disruption for many Canadians just starting the summer travel season, said Calgary-based aviation consultant Rick Erickson.

“Either way, it will cause tremendous inconvenience to the Canadian public – and also to foreign travellers,” Erickson said.

The impact on Calgary tourism would likely be disproportionately high due to WestJet’s heavy presence in the city, especially since Air Canada has ceded large swaths of Western Canada to the Calgary-based airline in recent years. The timing of the strike announcement will likely have a major impact on the bargaining table, Erickson said.

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“I don’t think these things happen by chance because of the timing of this event, and you can bet the union is going to think, ‘Hey, we want to put as much pressure as possible on the airline’s management to make decisions.'”

“It is hard to imagine a more inflammatory or offensive comment”

As negotiations over the union’s first collective agreement drag on in a windowless conference room at a hotel near Toronto’s Pearson Airport, the tone of statements from both sides has become increasingly aggressive.

The mechanics union, which represents about 680 workers – the majority are aircraft maintenance technicians (AMEs) who inspect every active aircraft daily – has accused WestJet of “confrontational politics” and “false accusations”. The union said on Wednesday that the airline had asked the government to rescind its strike notice without notifying its negotiators.

“In its statement today, WestJet claims that a strike at AME ‘would put the company and travelers at risk at a critical time,'” the union’s bargaining committee said in a press release on Wednesday.

“It is hard to imagine a more inflammatory or offensive comment.”

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WestJet described the impact of a possible strike as “catastrophic.”

“With the July long weekend fast approaching, it is especially devastating that the strike notice we received from AMFA is forcing us to cancel flights and park aircraft for the second time in just over a week,” said Diederik Pen, president of WestJet Airlines, in a press release.

He described the decision to cancel flights as “painful” and pointed to the consequences for customers.

The aircraft mechanics first announced a 72-hour strike on June 17, forcing WestJet to cancel nearly 50 flights last week before both sides agreed to resume negotiations. The second strike followed on Tuesday.

Union members overwhelmingly rejected a tentative deal earlier this month and resisted WestJet’s request for intervention by the country’s labor court.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board has said it needs more time and proposals from all parties before it can decide whether to reach a collective agreement through binding arbitration, as WestJet proposed last week.

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