WestJet cancels hundreds of flights following mechanics’ union strike

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Passengers departing Vancouver International Airport faced picket lines, long lineups, delays and flight cancellations Saturday after a strike by unionized WestJet mechanics.

The last-minute strike forced the airline to cancel more than 150 flights on Friday and 235 flights on Saturday, stranding tens of thousands of passengers over the busy Canada Day long weekend. Severe travel disruptions are expected at airports across the country.

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On Saturday, in YVR, around 20 WestJet employees demonstrated in front of the international arrivals area of ​​the airport.

One of the protesters, Mark Rudge, chairman of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association strike committee, apologized to travelers for the delays and cancellations, saying they didn’t want to strike on the busy weekend but had run out of options.

“We wanted to do this deal weeks and weeks ago, but we were absolutely blocked by management, and they wouldn’t even talk to us in most cases or return our phone calls,” he said. -he declared on Saturday.

YVR spokesperson Alyssa Smith said the airport expects to welcome about 335,000 travellers this weekend, or a daily average of 84,000 travellers. Passengers were advised to check with WestJet for the latest information, allow extra time at the airport and check in at the YVR information desk for assistance.

The union announced that its members walked off work around 4:30 p.m. Friday because the airline’s “unwillingness to negotiate with the union made a strike inevitable.”

The move comes after the federal government issued a ministerial order on Thursday providing for binding arbitration, following two weeks of turbulent discussions with the union over a new agreement.

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WestJet executives said at a news conference in Calgary that 235 flights had already been canceled as of midday Saturday, affecting 33,000 passengers, with the possibility of another 150 flights being canceled by the end of the day if the walkout was not resolved.

WestJet Airlines President Diederik Pen called the strike “devastating” for passengers and the airline.

“We are outraged and I want to assure you that we are doing everything possible to resolve this issue,” Pen said.

Many people took to social media to express their frustration over cancelled vacation plans, while others expressed the futility of trying to reach WestJet employees by phone. One traveller named D. Rose on X said his trip was cancelled while they were unloading their luggage at the airport and wrote, “You ruined our family vacation.” Another person, Jeremy Berger, wrote on social media that he was on hold with WestJet for 12 hours before being disconnected.

Rudge said they needed the company to come to the table and negotiate in good faith.

“We’ve sat down with them on a number of occasions and they’ve taken a strong position, and all of their offers have been subpar at best, and it’s just nothing that the union is prepared to present to its members,” he said.

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He added he was “horrified and shocked” that a federal minister would get involved in a private matter.

“We are not essential workers here,” he said. “We take people to Mexico but it’s not an essential service.”

He acknowledged the Canada Day long weekend was “a horrible time” but said the problem should have been resolved weeks ago.

Rudge said there needed to be a compensation package that would attract people to the company as they faced staff shortages.

“We are seeing people leaving in droves. Some people retire earlier than planned. I’m one of the oldest employees in the company, and I shouldn’t be at my age. So the workload is shocking and it’s about safety. You can’t have an understaffed maintenance department to take care of a very technical and sophisticated aircraft,” he said.

According to WestJet, under the proposed agreement, the workers would have been the highest paid in the country, with a 12.5 percent wage increase in the first year of the agreement, and a compound wage increase of 23 percent over the duration of the agreement.

The company says its airline mechanics earn an average of $109,000, with top earners earning between $150,000 and $170,000.

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According to Gábor Lukács, Canadian air passenger rights advocate and president of Air Passenger Rights, WestJet must offer passengers the choice of rebooking for free on the next available flight operated by any carrier, including competing airlines, or a refund in the original form of payment and within 30 days.

Additional compensation for personal expenses such as meals, hotels and lost wages may be due to passengers if the flight is outside of Canada, depending on the origin and destination of their trip.

Lukács recommends people record their own interactions with WestJet. Evidence of WestJet’s actions and omissions, including refusal to offer compensation or rebook, could prove crucial in enforcing compensation rights, he said.

Pen said WestJet would comply with regulations and refund passengers while providing hotel accommodations to those stranded. Beyond that, he said the airline was “unable to provide any additional compensation.”

This isn’t the first time WestJet labour unrest has affected holiday weekend travel plans. The airline avoided a strike last year in the early hours of the May long weekend, but then cancelled more than 230 flights and forced thousands to change their travel plans.

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With files from The Canadian Press

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