More WestJet flight cancellations as Canadian airline strike hits tens of thousands of travelers
Posted 6/30/24
Canada’s second-largest airline says it has canceled more than 800 flights affecting tens of thousands of passengers days as an unexpected strike by WestJet plane mechanics entered its third day. …
You must be a member to read this story.
Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.
Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here
Otherwise, follow the link below to join.
To Our Valued Readers –
Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.
For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.
Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.
Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.
Need to set up your free e-Newspaper all-access account? click here.
Non-subscribers
Click here to see your options for becoming a subscriber.
Register to comment
Click here create a free account for posting comments.
Note that free accounts do not include access to premium content on this site.
I am anchor
More WestJet flight cancellations as Canadian airline strike hits tens of thousands of travelers
FILE - A westJet airplane takes off in Calgary, Alta., Jan. 21, 202. Mechanics at the Canadian airline WestJet say they are dropping plans to begin a strike now that the airline has agreed to resume negotiations on a new collective-bargaining agreement. Members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association had been preparing to walk off the job on Thursday night. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
Posted
TORONTO (AP) — Canada’s second largest airline, WestJet, said Sunday that it canceled more than 800 flights affecting tens of thousands of passengers as an unexpected strike by plane mechanics entered its third day.
Around 680 workers, whose daily inspections and repairs are essential to airline operations, walked off the job on Friday evening, despite a directive for binding arbitration from the federal labor minister.
The strike is happening during the Canada Day long weekend, the busiest travel week of the year in the country.
Both the airline and the Airplane Mechanics Fraternal Association have accused the other side of refusing to negotiate in good faith.
WestJet Airlines president Diederik Pen has stressed what he calls the “continued reckless actions” of a union making “blatant efforts” to disrupt Canadians’ travel plans, while the association claimed the Calgary-Alberta, based company has refused to respond to its latest counterproposal.
In an update to members Sunday, it said that mechanics were “the victim of WestJet’s virulent PR campaign that you are scofflaws,” citing “calumnies” against workers around their right to strike.
The job action comes after union members voted overwhelmingly to reject a tentative deal from WestJet in mid-June and following two weeks of tense talks between the two parties.
As the clock ticked down toward a Friday strike deadline, the impasse prompted Labor Minister Seamus O’Regan to step in, mandating that WestJet and the union undertake binding arbitration headed by the country’s labor tribunal.
That process typically sidesteps a work stoppage. WestJet certainly thought so, stating the union had “confirmed they will abide by the direction.”
“Given this, a strike or lockout will not occur, and the airline will no longer proceed in canceling flights,” the airline said Thursday.
The mechanics took a different view. The union negotiating committee said it would “comply with the minister’s order and directs its members to refrain from any unlawful job action.” Less than 24 hours later, workers were on the picket lines.