Flight attendants at WestJet will return to work Monday after reaching a “tentative” labor agreement with the airline.
Both the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 8125, which represents the flight attendants, and WestJet confirmed early Monday that the day-old strike is over, though it was not immediately clear when flights will resume. WestJet will likely need some time to fully restore normal operations.
The flight attendants walked off the job on Sunday after negotiations between WestJet and CUPE stalled. According to FlightAware, WestJet canceled 496 flights, or 100% of its schedule, on Sunday, representing a serious blow to air travel in Canada on what is traditionally a busy holiday weekend.
The union authorized a strike in July and last week produced a 72-hour strike notification, which cleared the way for a work stoppage unless bargaining resumed.
The carrier and its flight attendants have clashed over the issue of compensation for duties and hours worked outside of flights. CUPE said it is fighting to end “unpaid work” and wants its members compensated for responsibilities such as boarding, deplaning, handling delays, and safety checks.
WestJet has acknowledged that salaries will have to rise to keep pace with inflation but argued that it already pays for extra hours with an above-standard “credit hour” system.
Neither side provided exact details of the new agreement, but CUPE officials suggested that at least some of their conditions have been met.
“This tentative agreement represents meaningful progress,” CUPE 8125 President Alia Hussain said in a news release. “It evolves the flight credit system by recognizing more of the work cabin crew are required to perform and with general increases to compensation for that work. Most importantly, this agreement was achieved through collective bargaining at the negotiating table.”
The deal will have to be presented to the membership and ratified before it can come into effect.
“We are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement that reflects the hard work and professionalism of our cabin crew,” WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said in a statement. “We know this disruption has been frustrating for our guests and WestJetters and we’re sorry for that. Our teams are working hard to restore service and get our guests on their way to their destinations as quickly as possible and we appreciate everyone’s patience as we get back to normal.”
