WestJet mechanics announce new strike; work stoppage could occur on June 28

A strike by WestJet mechanics is once again under discussion and a walkout could occur right at the start of the busy Canada Day weekend.

WestJet said it has received a second strike notice in just over a week from the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), the union that represents WestJet’s aircraft maintenance engineers and other technical operations employees in the bargaining unit. The AMFA-initiated stoppage could begin as early as June 28th at 17:30 MT in the run-up to the long weekend, for which more than 70,000 passengers make their travel bookings every day.

WestJet said it had begun preparations for a reduced flight schedule but had not announced any cancellations as of the morning of June 26. Cancelled flights would be a major problem for passengers and travel advisors at a very busy time of year.

WestJet mechanics announced a strike in early May after rejecting a collective bargaining agreement with the airline. A work stoppage could have occurred on June 20, causing dozens of WS flights to be grounded. However, the union called off the strike on the morning of June 20, and the mechanics group and management agreed to return to the bargaining table.

Talks resumed on June 24, but WestJet says AMFA delivered a new strike notice less than a day after the new round of negotiations began.

Simple Flying reports that WestJet and WestJet Encore have locked out their maintenance technicians due to the threatened strike.

In a statement, WestJet said it had submitted a revised offer under which WestJet AMEs would receive a 22% increase over four years, making them the “highest paid AMEs in Canada.”

“The union’s demand far exceeds this limit and remains unreasonable,” the airline said in a press release.

“To receive a second strike notice from the union after mutually agreeing with WestJet before the CIRB to return to the bargaining table in good faith for another four days following last week’s initial disruption is disheartening and unacceptable to our guests, employees and the communities and businesses that rely on our service,” said Diederik PenPresident of WestJet Airlines and COO.

“We deeply regret the stress and uncertainty that AMFA’s tactics are causing Canadians by specifically targeting the busy July long weekend. However, we must stick to a sensible outcome that ensures affordable air travel for Canadians for years to come.

“WestJet presented its latest industry-leading offer in Canada to the union. It was promptly rejected and a strike announced, leaving us with no choice but to institute a lockout to manage travel disruptions for hundreds of thousands of guests. It is our duty to ensure the safe and orderly shutdown of our network in the coming days and to minimize the risk of stranding our guests, our crew and our aircraft,” said Pen.

WS management said the new strike announcement does not mean that travel will be affected, but it will “take all necessary measures” to mitigate the impact as much as possible, including:

• Begin preparations for reduced schedule operations.
• Proactively manage changes and cancellations to ensure guests can be communicated with prior to changes.
• Providing flexible change and cancellation options for those who wish to make alternative arrangements.

If flights are delayed or cancelled, affected passengers will receive a refund or new accommodation.

Changes to existing travel will be communicated directly to those who booked directly with WestJet via the email address provided at the time of booking.

Anyone who has booked through a travel agent or online booking agency is asked to contact them directly.

Passengers travelling with WestJet are advised to check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.

For more information, please visit WestJet’s Guest Updates page.