CALGARY — More than 4,000 cabin crew members at WestJet officially walked off the job on Sunday following an unresolved dispute over wages and compensation for duties performed on the ground. The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents 4,400 flight attendants at Canada’s second-largest air carrier, initiated the strike action after a 72-hour strike notice expired. The sudden work stoppage forced the airline to cancel hundreds of flights during a peak travel weekend, leaving thousands of travellers stranded across the country.
At the heart of the labor dispute is the issue of unpaid work, specifically how cabin crew are compensated for tasks completed prior to takeoff and after landing. While the union maintains that flight attendants are required to perform significant ground duties without hourly pay, WestJet argued that its existing credit hour pay structure already factors ground duties, flight delays, and other labor into a higher overall rate of pay. WestJet Chief Executive Officer Alexis von Hoensbroech stated that the carrier had presented a transformative proposal that included an hourly rate for ground duties alongside double-digit wage increases in year one, but the offer was turned down by union leadership.
The strike has grounded all scheduled flights operated on WestJet’s primary Boeing 737 and Boeing 787 aircraft, though regional WestJet Encore flights operated on Q400 aircraft and partner code-share flights remain unaffected. Affected passengers who booked directly with the airline are being contacted via email for refunds or alternate arrangements. The current disruption mirrors a similar three-day strike held by Air Canada cabin crew last summer over ground work compensation, highlighting ongoing industry-wide tension regarding flight attendant pay structures in North America.
