Canadian airline WestJet, pilots reach 11th-hour deal as strike averted
WestJet Airlines pilots assemble for a group photo after standing on a picket line at Toronto Pearson International Airport, Monday, May 8, 2023. The picket is one of three at Canada's largest airports to show WestJet management they remain committed to negotiating a North American industry-standard contract. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Canada’s second-largest airline WestJet and its pilots’ union say they have reached a last-minute deal, averting a strike on Friday before a holiday weekend in the country.
A statement from the Air Line Pilots Association says union leaders voted to approve an agreement-in-principle, with a membership vote to begin in the coming days.
The airline had grounded the bulk of its fleet Thursday, including for its Swoop subsidiary, parking its 130 planes at airports across Canada and leaving thousands of travellers in limbo across the country.
The shutdown affected dozens of routes within Canada and to the United States and overseas, while flights at the WestJet Encore regional service and the WestJet-owned Sunwing Airlines were unaffected.
Around 1,800 pilots at WestJet and Swoop had been poised to walk off the job early Friday after the ALPA served a strike notice Monday.
Bernard Lewall, who heads the union’s WestJet contingent, had said the workers’ issues revolved around pay, job security and scheduling, with pilots earning roughly half of what some of their U.S. counterparts make.
The WestJet Group said in its own statement that it’s happy to have reached a tentative agreement that is industry-leading within Canada and recognises the important contributions of its valued pilots.