WestJet Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Strike Over Pay

Aircraft maintenance engineers and other technical staff at Canada’s WestJet Airlines went on strike on Friday at the start of a long weekend after rounds of negotiations failed to create an agreement on pay and working conditions.

Company and Government Response:

WestJet expressed outrage at the strike during the Canada Day weekend, holding the union “100% accountable for the unnecessary stress and costs incurred as a result.” Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan intervened on Thursday after WestJet began canceling flights, ordering Canada’s industrial relations board to impose final binding arbitration.

The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) defended the strike, arguing that O’Regan’s order did not respect “employees’ fundamental right to strike,” as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guaranteed. The union had served a strike notice on June 18 after rejecting a tentative pay deal reached in May.

Flight Disruptions and Passenger Impact:

Calgary-based WestJet, backed by Onex Corp and competing with Air Canada, canceled 150 flights for Saturday, affecting approximately 20,000 passengers. Further cancellations were anticipated if the strike continued, with the airline seeking government intervention to minimize disruption.

The union stated that WestJet refused further collective bargaining in Toronto under government-imposed arbitration and rejected a request to continue bargaining in Calgary. However, the union’s bargaining committee remained ready to resume discussions over the weekend and the following week.