Calgary WestJet employees back strike vote if new deal can't be reached
The union representing more than 700 WestJet employees at airports in Calgary and Vancouver says workers have voted to support a strike if they cannot reach a new contract with the airline.
It could happen as soon as July 27.
Unifor Local 531 represents baggage service agents, customer service agents and guest service leads, among others, in the two cities.
The union says after months of negotiating the two sides are still far apart on multiple subjects. One in particular is a sticking point.
"The biggest issue is wages," Unifor's director of airlines Leslie Dias told CTV News. "This is a group that hasn't seen their wage scale increase since April 2017. The company cannot hire and retain workers at the pay rate that they're paying today."
"As the airline rebuilds, the majority of its airports employees have been with the company for less than one year, and the vast majority of more tenured airport employees have received increases through the existing pay step structure," said WestJet's executive vice-president Angela Avery in a statement. "WestJet is committed to competitive compensation that recognizes airport employee contributions, while ensuring the airline is positioned to return to profitability.
"This is a common step in the labour negotiation process and was not unexpected."
Dias says the workers voted 98 per cent in favour of a strike if a deal cannot be reached.
It has the potential to be the latest blow to a Canadian air travel sector that has been in disarray for months.
YYC Calgary International Airport has largely avoided major issues, but a WestJet strike could spell big problems in Calgary.
"It's one thing that's definitely not needed at a time like we're going through right now," said Travel Secure Inc's Martin Firestone. "It will send a jolt into the industry and clients of mine already are asking 'what happens next?'"
Before taking any strike action, Unifor must serve WestJet Airlines with 72 hours notice.
The two sides will continue with negotiations for the rest of the week.
Federal mediators are already involved in the process.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.