WestJet and mechanics union ratify contract after strike

Just weeks after a two-day strike resulted in extensive flight cancellations and cost the airline millions of dollars, a collective bargaining agreement between WestJet and its mechanics was ratified.

The new contract provides for a wage increase for aircraft mechanics of 15.5 percent in the first year, 3.25 percent in the second year and further increases of 2.5 percent each in the third, fourth and fifth years, the union said on Friday.

Bret Oestreich, national president of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, believes the contract sets a new precedent for the industry and will likely lead to proactive wage increases at other airlines as well.

“Other airlines will now pay the same salary as WestJet pays its AMEs (aircraft maintenance technicians) because they don’t want to lose their talent,” Oestreich said in an interview.

The ratification of the contract brings “stability” to WestJet’s business and reflects the “instrumental value” of its mechanics and technical operations staff, said Diederik Pen, the airline’s president and COO.

“While we are grateful to have worked as a unified team to reach a resolution with a clear path forward, we also recognize that the unprecedented impact of the July long weekend disruptions remains concerning for our guests, the communities we serve and our employees,” Pen said in a press release Friday.

The WestJet mechanics strike began on June 28 and lasted 29 hours over the Canada Day long weekend, one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

The Calgary-based airline was forced to cancel over 1,050 flights, affecting over 100,000 WestJet customers.

The mechanics went on strike despite US Labor Secretary Seamus O’Regan ordering binding arbitration.

Both the airline and the Canadian government seemed to assume at that point that a strike was out of the question. However, the Canada Industrial Relations Board said the union’s 680 WestJet workers could still strike because the policy did not explicitly remove that right.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 12, 2024.