Opinion: Striking WestJet mechanics earn an average of just $109,000. Ah, humanity

Ashley Nunes is a senior research fellow at Harvard Law School and teaches economic policy at Harvard College.

Admittedly, inspecting, maintaining and repairing aircraft is no picnic. The work can be grueling, requires concentration and must be done regardless of Mother Nature’s cooperation. I wouldn’t be particularly keen on checking engines in the freezing, sweltering Canadian winter or conducting safety checks in the scorching summer heat. When WestJet safety engineers say they need a raise, my default reaction is to agree.

But I wonder why these engineers (who earn an average of $109,000 according to WestJet) believe they should earn far more than most CanadianNearly 700 of those workers walked off the job on Friday, demanding benefits beyond the 23 percent wage increase offered over the five-and-a-half-year term of their collective agreement.

WestJet said on Sunday that it had reached an agreement with workers to end the strike, but said more than 800 flights had already been cancelled and there would be further flight disruptions in the coming week as the planes were returned to service.

Is there an obscure aircraft maintenance tool that engineers have to pay for out of their own pockets? A pneumatic hand drill that gives them the upper hand in the fight against the enemies aluminum and steel?

I firmly believe that companies have little say in setting wages. It is the market that decides how much (or how little) a worker receives. If a company pays a worker less than they are willing to (and should be willing to) pay, that worker will go elsewhere. If that happens a few times, a company will quickly learn that it needs to sweeten the offer to attract and retain the best employees.

Simply put, if WestJet technicians believe their work is worth more (and I’m not entirely convinced it is) and WestJet isn’t willing to pay them more, those workers should quit. This happens all the time. Professionals, young and old, who are unhappy with their pay look for another job. In fact, dissatisfaction with pay is the number one reason workers give to look for another job.

Why should WestJet engineers be treated differently? The answer is no. They should do what we all do when we’re unhappy with our jobs: polish their resume, go to interviews, and keep working until they find something better. Or, if the working conditions are that bad, just quit altogether.

Instead, these “professionals” have decided to walk away from their jobs under the pretense of being treated unfairly, while demanding “job security” for work they do not want to do. And these workers are not being held accountable for disrupting the travel plans of tens of thousands of Canadians. Mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters who booked their trips months in advance are being held hostage by a select minority.

The fact that an agreement was reached was inevitable, given Ottawa’s involvement in the dispute and the important role that air travel plays in the Canadian economy. But in the long run, I think we need to be tougher when it comes to these kinds of dealings. And when it comes to toughness, nobody did it better than former US President Ronald Reagan.

In 1981, American air traffic controllers threatened to strike because their demands – a big pay raise and a better pension – were not being met (sound familiar?). The US government, which is responsible for air traffic control, made some concessions, but in the eyes of the air traffic controllers, these were not enough. A strike ensued, bringing air traffic to a standstill across the country. Reagan repeatedly called on the striking air traffic controllers to return to work, but to no avail. Finally, he resorted to the nuclear option. He fired the striking air traffic controllers – all 11,345 of them.

I’m not saying Reagan’s approach should be repeated here. In Canada, it’s not just harder, it’s impossible. Workers can’t be fired (or even punished) for striking. Nor should they be. And the strike is already over.

But the fact that the union has gone on strike before means it can do so again. In subsequent negotiations, WestJet should not allow the union to trick it into thinking it is going on strike and pressure it into making further concessions.

When it comes to wages and benefits, a company is not obligated to meet a worker’s demands, no matter how reasonable (or unreasonable) those demands may be. The market will determine that. If WestJet maintains its position, it’s only a matter of time before WestJet’s 700 workers realize this.

Until then, people in Canada will continue to suffer across the country.