WestJet announced that it canceled at least 235 flights following a surprise strike by its mechanics’ union. The surprise strike affected around 33,000 passengers.
Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association announced that its members started a strike on Friday after WestJet’s “unwillingness to negotiate with the union.”
On Thursday, the federal government released a ministerial order for binding arbitration. And two weeks before that, the airline and the union were in turbulent discussions on a new deal.
In a news conference in Calgary, WestJet executives said there could be an additional 150 canceled flights by the end of the day. WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech blamed the “rogue union from the US” for trying to make its way to Canada.
According to the CEO, negotiations with the union stopped when the government ordered a binding arbitration. He said, “This makes a strike totally absurd because the reason you actually do a strike is because you need to exercise pressure on the bargaining table.” He also added, “If there is no bargaining table it makes no sense, there shouldn’t be a strike.”
Von Hoensbroech described the rejected contract as an offer that would have positioned WestJet’s mechanics as the “best paid in the country.”
The surprise strike affected flights during the Canada Day long weekend. In an update to its membership, the union negotiating committee referred to an order from the Canada Industrial Relations Board that does not explicitly prohibit strikes or lockouts during the arbitration.
Sean McVeigh, a striking WestJet aircraft mechanic, said the strike is an attempt to get the airline back to a “respectful negotiation.” He also said that the mechanics regretted the inconvenience that it brought passengers. “However, the reason they (passengers) have possibly missed a flight or had to cancel is due to the reason that WestJet is not respectfully sitting down at the table and negotiating,” according to McVeigh.
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