WestJet Pilots To Hold Strike Vote As Labour Talks Stall

The union representing pilots at WestJet Airlines plans to hold a strike authorization vote as contract talks with management stall.

The Air Line Pilots Association said a strike vote could be held as early as today (April 3), and that its 1,600 members are frustrated after six months of collective bargaining failed to produce a new contract.

The outstanding issues include increased wages, scheduling, and work conditions at WestJet and its discount subsidiary Swoop.

The union says working conditions at privately held WestJet have gotten so bad that 39 pilots left the company during the month of March this year.

For its part, WestJet management said that the threat of a strike is a “common and expected tactic” on the part of the union during contract negotiations.

If successful, a strike vote authorization would empower the union’s bargaining team to call a strike on or around the May long weekend, which kicks off the busy summer travel season.

A big issue in the labour negotiations is the fact that pilots who fly under the Swoop banner are paid less than those who fly for WestJet.

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With the company's takeover of leisure carrier Sunwing approved by the federal government on March 10 of this year, the union is worried that it could lead to the creation of another class of pilots with yet another pay scale.

The Sunwing acquisition will see Calgary-based WestJet bolster its vacation package offerings as it adds the tour operator to its fleet, though the two brands will be marketed separately from each other.

WestJet pilots unionized in May 2017, which was a major shift at the famously non-union airline.

Since then, other employee groups at the company have also unionized, including flight attendants and airport employees.

The pilots' first union contract, which expired at the end of 2022, was the result of a settlement reached in 2018 under the federal arbitration process.