Avril Elfi from OAN
Sunday, June 30, 2024 12:13 PM
Canada’s WestJet Airlines canceled more than 400 flights due to the strike, affecting more than 49,000 passengers.
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The Aircraft Maintenance Engineers’ Association said on Friday that its members had begun the strike because airlines “will not negotiate with the union.”
The federal government issued a ministerial order calling for binding arbitration on Thursday, triggering the unexpected strike that will affect both domestic and international flights. It came after two weeks of tumultuous talks with unions over a new agreement.
WestJet said it would keep planes parked until Sunday in preparation for the Canada Day long weekend that ends Monday. The airline estimates it will have about 30 of its 200 planes in the air by Sunday night.
The airline’s CEO, Alexis von Hornsbroek, placed all blame for the situation on “lawless American unions” trying to expand into Canada.
Von Hohensbroek said the airline had ended negotiations with the union when the government ordered binding arbitration in the dispute.
“The strike is completely absurd because the reason for the strike is that we need to put pressure on the negotiating table,” he said. “If there is no negotiating table, there is no point. There should be no strike.”
He added that the union rejected a contract proposal that would have made the airline’s mechanics “the highest paid in the country.”
In an affiliation update, the union’s bargaining committee cited a Canada Labour Relations Board order that does not specifically prohibit strikes or lockouts while the arbitration tribunal is conducting its arbitration.
WestJet aircraft mechanic Sean McVay insisted the strike was intended to pressure the airline to resume “respectful negotiations”, but said he regretted the inconvenience experienced by affected passengers.
“But the reason passengers have missed flights or had to cancel is because WestJet has not come to the table respectfully,” he said. “We have a lot of responsibility and we just want to be judged financially.”
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