A messy WestJet pilots’ strike is still possible for this week, but negotiations appear to be continuing between pilots and the airline.
The pilots union issued an update Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern Time to say talks were set to to continue.
“As of Sunday at 5pm ET, no 72 hour notice for strike or lock-out has been submitted,” according to @WestJetALPA, the official Twitter account for the WestJet Master Executive Council (MEC), Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA).
Global News reports that pilots representing both WestJet and its discount brand Swoop voted in favour of a strike mandate in April. Earlier this week, pilots took part in an informational picket to raise awareness of their demands.
Multiple published reports say a strike could be called as early as Tuesday, May 16.
John Gradek, a lecturer with the aviation management program at McGill University, told Global that there’s a “fairly large gap” between the two sides.
A strike this close to the May long weekend would be devastating for many Canadians.
WestJet on May 8 said it “is prepared with contingency planning to minimize what could be significant impacts to guest travel.”
WestJet pilots and their employer are continuing to hold talks as the union warns that a walkout could come as early as Tuesday.
The Air Line Pilots Association, which represents some 1,600 flight crew at WestJet and subsidiary Swoop, says it is poised to file a 72-hour strike notice just after midnight.
Bernard Lewall, who heads the union’s WestJet contingent, told CTV News that the workers’ issues revolve around job protection, pay and scheduling, with some 340 pilots leaving the carrier over the past year and a half – mostly to other airlines.
WestJet says pilot departures have been exaggerated by the union. It also says it pays pilots a fair wage that’s competitive in Canada, if not comparable to U.S. pay rates.
We are committed to getting a deal and to avoiding impacts on our guests in the coming days,” WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said last week. “However, we are equally ready to hold our ground on what is reasonable and to take actions to bring this to a resolution to give the Canadian travelling public, and our people, the certainty they deserve.”
