Article content

Flight attendants at WestJet have voted overwhelming in favour of strike action that could affect travel over the August long weekend. Here’s what to know.

Article content

What is the status of the strike?

Article content

Article content

The flight attendants’ union announced on July 15 that its 4,400 members had voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action. Turnout for the vote was 97.3 per cent, according to local 8125 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Of those who cast votes, 99.4 per cent were in favour of a strike, and 0.6 per cent opposed.

Article content

Article content

What happens next?

Article content

Article content

While a strike mandate does not mean that a strike will definitely happen, it does start the clock ticking on a 21-day cooling-off period, after which a strike is allowed. That means the earliest a strike could start is Aug. 2, the Sunday of the August long weekend.

Article content

The union is also required to give 72 hours notice of a strike, which means a Sunday strike would have to be announced no later than Wednesday.

Article content

What happens if a strike goes ahead?

Article content

A strike would effectively ground operations by the carrier’s nearly 200 aircraft. It would also affect travel on Sunwing Vacation packages, since that company has been using WestJet planes since last summer.

Article content

What does the union want?

Article content

One key issue, which was also raised during the Air Canada flight attendants’ strike last August, is that of pay for work performed while aircraft are on the ground.

Article content

WestJet cabin crew salaries are based on a model called credit hour that pays a higher rate for the duration of the flight to make up for the preparation before the plane takes off. As a result, staff are only paid for when they’re flying.

Article content

Article content

The model dates back several decades but the union says airline work has changed over the years, involving more complex pre-flight processes and forcing staff to work longer hours for the same amount of wages.

Article content

Article content

A union spokesperson told National Post by email: “Our Bargaining Committee remains at the table, committed to negotiating in good faith and reaching a fair collective agreement for WestJet Cabin Crew.”

Article content

The spokesperson added: “Our members are still working and doing our jobs, we’re continuing to show up and do the work that keeps WestJet running. We’ve been clear from the start that we want to reach a fair deal without a strike. The best way to do that is for WestJet to do the right thing and end the practice of unpaid work.”

Article content

What is the airline doing?

Article content

Last week, WestJet announced that passengers travelling between July 30 and August 4 could make use of a one-time change or cancellation at no additional cost.

Article content

“This policy has been activated to provide you with additional flexibility and does not mean a travel disruption will occur,” the airline said in a statement. “If your travel plans are flexible, we encourage you to review the options available for your booking.”