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(Bloomberg) — Flight attendants at WestJet Airlines walked off the job on Sunday after failing to reach an agreement with Canada’s second-largest carrier over wages and scheduling.
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“We tried until the very last minute to get a fair deal that recognizes the value of the work cabin crews do,” Alia Hussain, head of Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 8125’s union, said in a statement. “WestJet’s offer did not go far enough.”
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The union is “ready to go back to the table to settle,” she said. “We would not be here if they had taken our concerns seriously for almost eleven months of bargaining.”
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WestJet began grounding part of its fleet on Friday afternoon in preparation for a potential work stoppage. Flight attendants had served their 72-hour strike notice on Thursday, with WestJet filing a lockout notice in response.
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Unpaid groundwork was a major stumbling block in the negotiations. WestJet uses one method to pay flight attendants when the aircraft is in motion, and another to compensate for groundwork. Flight attendants argued the system is unfair, saying it results in as many as 35 hours a month of unpaid work.
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“WestJet remains committed to reaching a negotiated agreement and believes a deal is within reach,” the airline said on its website on Saturday.
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Competitor Air Canada’s flight attendants walked out for three days last summer in a dispute over wages and compensation for time worked before and after flights. The airline now pays for some ground duties.
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In 2022, Delta Air Lines Inc. became the first US airline to pay attendants during the boarding period.
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