More WestJet flight cancellations as strike hits tens of thousands of travelers

By Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press, June 30, 2024.

Travelers wait for flights at Calgary International Airport as WestJet mechanics go on strike in Calgary, Saturday, June 29, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

WestJet canceled nearly 700 flights, disrupting the plans of nearly 100,000 passengers, as an unexpected strike by aircraft mechanics entered its third day on Sunday, the busiest travel weekend of the season.

The approximately 680 employees, whose daily inspections and repairs are essential for the airline’s operations, went on strike on Friday evening despite an instruction from the Federal Minister of Labor to enter into a binding arbitration procedure.

Since Thursday, WestJet has cancelled 687 flights scheduled to take place between then and the end of the long Canada Day weekend, according to tracking service FlightAware.

By Sunday morning, 77 percent of daily flights had been canceled, with WestJet leading the list of major airlines with the most cancellations worldwide on Saturday and Sunday.

Both the airline and the Airplane Mechanics Fraternal Association accused the other side of refusing to negotiate seriously.

WestJet Airlines President Diederik Pen has highlighted the “continued reckless actions” of a union that is making “blatant efforts” to disrupt Canadians’ travel plans. The union claims the Calgary-based company has refused to respond to its latest counter-proposal. In an update to members on Sunday, it said members were “victims of WestJet’s vicious PR campaign claiming you are lawbreakers” and spoke of “slander” against workers related to their right to strike.

The industrial action came after union members voted overwhelmingly against a tentative collective agreement with WestJet earlier this month and two weeks of tense negotiations between the two parties.

As the clock counted down to the strike ending on Friday, the impasse prompted Employment Minister Seamus O’Regan to intervene, ordering WestJet and the union to go to binding arbitration in the country’s employment court.

This procedure is usually used to circumvent a work stoppage. WestJet certainly agreed, saying the union had “confirmed that it will comply with the order.”

“In this context, there will be no strike or lockout and the airline will no longer cancel flights,” the airline said on Thursday.

The mechanics disagreed. The union’s negotiating committee said it would “follow the Minister’s instructions and instruct its members to refrain from any unlawful industrial action.” Less than 24 hours later, the workers were on the picket line.

A decision by the Canada Industrial Relations Board on Thursday appeared to confirm the legality of their actions, despite the usual protocols surrounding arbitration proceedings.

“The Board is of the opinion that the Ministry’s referral does not result in a suspension of the right to strike or lockout,” the court wrote.

The employment minister said on Saturday that the panel’s decision was “obviously at odds” with the instructions he had given, but O’Regan later added that he respected the panel’s independence.

Both parties wanted to meet on Sunday morning, the union said.

Not everyone was upset about the turbulence on the labor market over the weekend.

“We are seeing a huge increase in bookings, presumably because passengers are trying to save their long weekends,” said Kim Bowie, spokeswoman for Flair Airlines.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2024.

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