WestJet reaches tentative deal with Encore pilots; load controllers ratify CBA

A WestJet Encore Bombardier Q400 twin-engined turboprop aircraft is prepared for a flight in Kamloops, Saturday, June 3, 2023. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

WestJet has made progress on two labour disputes, reaching a tentative agreement with Encore pilots and ratifying a new collective bargaining agreement with its load controllers.

WestJet Encore pilot leaders, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), voted to approve a new tentative agreement on Thursday.

The airline said the two parties returned to the bargaining table on Wednesday with the collective goal of avoiding a work stoppage.

The union’s membership will vote on the tentative agreement over the coming days. ALPA said the tentative agreement ends the possibility of job action on June 1.

“After our pilots rejected the tentative agreement presented to them last month, citing the WestJet Group’s failure to address issues of central importance to the pilot group, we are very pleased to announce we have reached a new tentative agreement with management which addresses those issues,” Capt. Carin Kenny, chair of the WestJet Encore master executive council, said in a news release Thursday.

The two parties previously reached a tentative agreement, which the pilots rejected. They have been negotiating since September 2023.

"The tentative agreement we have reached today provides an offer that is fair and sustainable, and better aligns with key priorities as identified by ALPA, while firmly adhering to the financial parameters that set a critical foundation in the original agreement," said Diederik Pen, president of WestJet Airlines and group chief operating officer.

On Wednesday, the ALPA filed a 72-hour strike notice and the airline issued a lockout notice, which would have resulted in disruptions over the weekend.

The airline also announced its load controllers, represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), ratified a collective bargaining agreement on Thursday morning.

"This outcome reflects our deep appreciation for our Load Controllers and is the result of great collaboration with IAM that achieved meaningful results for our employees, our airline and our guests,” Pen said, in a second news release.

The agreement will come into effect starting on July 1 through Dec. 31, 2028.