WestJet cabin crew points strike discover, placing summer time journey in danger

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Flight attendants at WestJet, Canada’s second-largest airline, threatened Thursday to go on strike over unpaid work, a transfer that would disrupt journey throughout the busy summer time season.

The union representing 4,400 cabin crew at WestJet issued a 72-hour strike discover. That signifies that if an settlement isn’t reached, the strike may start Sunday — at time when the Monday, Aug. 3 vacation in Canada creates a three-day weekend for many individuals.

Both the airline and the union stated they have been negotiating and hoped to nonetheless attain an settlement.

“There’s still time to avoid a strike,” stated Alia Hussain, president of the chapter of the Canadian Union of Public Employees which represents the flight attendants. “We will continue to bargain around the clock until this is resolved. We want a fair contract for our members that recognizes the value of flight attendants’ work.”

A key difficulty within the dispute facilities on how flight attendants are paid for duties carried out whereas they’re nonetheless on the bottom. The union says a few of that work is unpaid. WestJet says these duties are compensated by means of a “credit hour” system reasonably than an hourly price.

WestJet stated in a launch the corporate regrets the “inconvenience and uncertainty” created by the labor dispute and can proceed bargaining.

Travelers booked on its regional WestJet Encore service or code-share flights run by an airline accomplice akin to Delta Air Lines wouldn’t be affected by a strike, the provider stated.

Last summer time flight attendants at Air Canada, the nation’s largest provider, went on strike with unpaid groundwork one of many key points. That work stoppage lasted three days earlier than the edges got here to an settlement.

John Gradek, a school lecturer on aviation administration at McGill University in Montreal, stated WestJet flies about 75,000 passengers a day on simply over 600 flights.

He stated it’s no accident the union waited till a protracted Canadian weekend in August to threaten strike motion. “Those passengers who get disrupted have to find their way to their destination and it will be WestJet’s responsibility to get you to your destination within 48 hours of your original booking.”