WestJet strike causes disruption for Winnipeg travellers – Winnipeg Free Press

“I always tell the kids… the hardest days make the best stories,” she said. “Now it’s hard, now it’s sad, now it’s stressful, but one day this will be a funny story to tell.”

Exchange student Valeria Hernandez was at the airport saying goodbye to friends. She was accompanied by her host mother, Angie Izzard. Hernandez is flying home to Mexico on Air Canada in the next few days, but the ordeal on Saturday that others experienced left her nervous.

“We’re all panicking,” Izzard said, scrolling through dozens of messages in the Winnipeg host family’s group chat.

She offered to help Coutu because some families will soon be leaving the city for vacation and will not be able to accommodate their international students if they are stranded there.

Tyler MacAfee, vice president of external relations at Winnipeg Airport, advised travellers to keep a close eye on the status of their flights online. There may be more cancellations ahead, but there were still some WestJet flights to and from Winnipeg on Saturday that were unaffected.

“Now it’s hard, now it’s sad, now it’s stressful, but one day it will be a funny story to tell.”–Alex Coutu

Bonnie Slaunwhite was one of the lucky ones.

“We’re leaving at 3:10 p.m. and haven’t heard anything (bad) yet,” she said as she stood in line to drop off baggage at WestJet on Saturday afternoon.

She travels with her fiancé and her mother to Halifax, where she originally comes from.

“We booked Airbnbs, VRBOs, family barbecues and engagement parties for two weeks,” she said. Canceling at this point “would have been bad.”

Outside the airport, five striking WestJet technicians talked to a pilot and held up signs that read: “No technicians, no flights. We’re keeping WestJet running.” A driver dropping off a passenger honked his horn and gave him a thumbs up.

AMFA said its members walked off the job on Friday night because the airline’s “unwillingness to negotiate with the union made the strike inevitable.” The move came after the federal government issued a ministerial order on Thursday for binding arbitration following two weeks of tumultuous negotiations with the union over a new collective agreement.

WestJet Airlines President Diederik Pen described the strike as “devastating” for passengers and the airline.

“We are outraged and I want to assure you that we are doing everything in our power to resolve this,” Pen said.

The striking workers outside Winnipeg airport, who asked to remain anonymous, urged their employer to be reasonable. Some said they have been with the airline for over 20 years and have never seen a strike before, and they are frustrated that they have to be there.

“We are not paid fairly for our skills and responsibilities,” said one.

“We have the same responsibility for the safety of this aircraft as the pilot,” said another. “Unfortunately, we are in the background.”

– With files from the Canadian Press

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Katrina Clarke
Investigative Reporter

Katrina Clarke is an investigative reporter at Winnipeg Free Press. Katrina holds a bachelor’s degree in politics from Queen’s University and a master’s degree in journalism from Western University. She has worked at newspapers across Canada, including the National Post and that Toronto StarShe joined the Free Press in 2022. Read more about Katrina.

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