WestJet cancels at least 150 flights after surprise strike by mechanics union

WestJet said at least 150 flights had been cancelled starting Saturday after the union that manages the airline’s aircraft announced a strike a few hours earlier.

The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) announced that its members began striking around 5:30 p.m. MDT on Friday because the airline’s “unwillingness to negotiate with the union made the strike inevitable.”

This step came after the federal government issued a ministerial order for binding arbitration proceedings on Thursday.

The order was also preceded by two weeks of turbulent negotiations with the union over a new agreement.

Calgary-based airline WestJet has sharply criticized the mechanics’ union’s actions, saying it was “extremely outraged by these actions and will hold AMFA 100 percent accountable for the unnecessary stress and costs it has caused.”

On Thursday, WestJet said AMFA “has confirmed that they will comply with the directive. With this in mind, there will be no strike or lockout and the airline will no longer cancel flights.”

The change in position on Friday seemed to shock travelers and executives alike.

“Is my flight on Sunday in danger?” asked Andrew Wheatley of Edmonton in a post to X.

“I support the right of a union to strike, as long as it is legal. And hopefully they get a good result. But at the same time, I have to be at work on Monday morning,” he added.

In an update to its members, the union’s bargaining committee pointed to a Canada Industrial Relations Board order that does not explicitly prohibit strikes and lockouts because the court is conducting arbitration, as directed by Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan on Wednesday.

This is not the first time WestJet has been on the brink of a strike. Last year, the airline managed to avert a strike in the early hours of the May long weekend, but then cancelled over 230 flights and forced thousands of people to change their travel plans.