Welcome to Canada Day travel chaos.
With WestJet mechanics out on a surprising strike, the airline has cancelled 150 flights for today (Saturday, June 29), and it warns more could be coming.
Mechanics walked off the job at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time last night (Friday, June 28), an action the union says is perfectly legal despite a ministerial order from the Justin Trudeau government that union reps and WS undergo binding arbitration to come up with a new bargaining agreement.
A couple of hours later, WestJet announced it will cancel 150 flights, possibly affecting 20,000 travellers. It also warned that re-accommodation options for passengers are limited, and that more cancellations could come shortly.
“Additional cancellations are anticipated by Saturday morning if the strike is not called off, or intervention does not happen immediately,” the company said in a release issued early this morning. “WestJet is actively and aggressively pursuing every avenue to minimize disruption, including asking for immediate intervention by the minister of labour.”
The strike is a huge headache for consumers. But it appears that passengers have limited options in terms of refunds.
Sylvie De Bellefeuille, director of legal services at Montreal-based consumer rights group Option consommateurs, told Global News that a labour dispute that grounds an airline’s planes usually falls under the category of cancellations outside a carrier’s control.
“Which means that’s the one where it’s the lowest level of liability for the airline. So the one where I would say the level of rights of consumers or passengers is lower, unfortunately,” she said.
It’s also difficult for WestJet to put passengers on other planes during a busy time for travel. On top of that, there are many routes where WestJet is the only option for fliers, which means the airline simply can’t put a passenger on another carrier.
The biggest impact is being felt in Canada, but WestJet also has flights to Europe, the United States, the Caribbean and Mexico. No doubt there are thousands of passengers around the world who are scrambling for options and worried about missing weddings or family get-togethers over the long weekend.
Folks in the tourism and travel industry in Canada also have to be worried, as WestJet is the major tenant at Calgary International Airport. A strike means a lot fewer tourists visiting during peak tourism season in Alberta. As if that wasn’t enough, the legendary Calgary Stampede is set to begin next Friday, July 5.
Consumers are understandably furious.
“Thank you for ruining our summer vacation that has been booked since February” @LinzHoz said on Twitter. “Sad kids and no other options.”
Also on Twitter/X @JerroldWiebe wrote “So my flight was canceled day of. Thanks #Westjet. Last minute booking now cost triple through a different airline.”
Most Canadians didn’t see this coming. The federal Labour Minister on Thursday, June 27 directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to impose final binding arbitration to resolve the outstanding issues between the airline and the mechanics union.
The union said it would obey the order, and the travel industry in Canada breathed a huge sigh of relief. But members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) walked off the job on the Friday night of the long weekend.
The move took many by surprise, but the union said their right to strike was never rescinded.
“The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees employees’ fundamental right to strike,” the mechanics union said on its website. “AMFA counsel argued that because the referral by the Minister was silent on the issue, AMFA members’ constitutional right to strike must prevail.
“The Board (CIRB) had found only last week that AMFA’s right to strike persisted.”
AMFA said the union and WestJet continued to discuss the arbitration process on Friday afternoon in separate breakout rooms.
“At 7:30 p.m. Eastern, having had no indication that the Board would revoke AMFA’s strike notice, AMFA directed its members to cease all work,” the union said. “At approximately 8:00 p.m. Eastern, the Board reconvened the parties and confirmed that it would not enjoin the AMFA strike.”
“AMFA’s bargaining committee is standing by to continue discussions with the Company,” the statement said. “The parties are separated by economic difference of approximately 7%, less than $8 million dollars a year.”
WestJet lashed out hard at the union, saying it was outraged by the mechanics’ action.
“A strike serves no one, as this negotiation has already been referred to binding arbitration,” said Diederik Pen, President of WestJet Airlines and Group Chief Operating Officer. “We know how painful this is for our guests and our people; however, we must start the immediate and safe parking of our aircraft,”
“The scale of this deliberate disruption is devastating and AMFA must be held accountable for their reckless actions. Without immediate intervention, significant disruption will unnecessarily harm tens of thousands of Canadians along with the entire economic ecosystem that depends on our critical air service.”
WestJet said it’s “actively and aggressively pursuing every avenue to minimize disruption, including asking for immediate intervention by the Minister of Labour and the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB).
“Severe travel disruption is to be expected if the strike is not called off immediately, as the network takedown can no longer happen in the orderly manner that WestJet had originally planned.”
Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan said on his Twitter/X feed that he’s looking at ways to protect consumers, the union and WestJet. But no details were offered.
He also suggested that CIRB didn’t follow his directive by allowing a legal strike to take place.
“We welcome the Minister’s confirmation that the CIRB has not followed the direction provided,” WestJet said on its own Twitter/X account. “This matter is urgent, and we await resolution on behalf of our guests and communities.”
The airline said pax are advised to check the status of their flight prior to leaving for the airport. They also urged the public to visit WestJet’s Guest Updates page for more information regarding flight status, travel changes and more.
