Wednesday, February 08, 2023

WestJet pilots at an 'impasse' with airline over contract talks: union


CALGARY — The union representing WestJet pilots says contract negotiations with the airline have been unproductive and federal arbitration may be needed to avert a strike.

ALPA Canada, which represents approximately 1,800 pilots at WestJet and its low-cost subsidiary Swoop, says it has been negotiating with the Calgary-based company since September.

It says the two parties are at an impasse over issues like wages and scheduling.

WestJet pilots first unionized in May 2017, marking a major shift in culture at the famously non-union airline.

The pilots' first union contract, which expired at the end of 2022, was the result of an arbitrated settlement.

That settlement, reached in 2018, averted a threatened pilots' strike, as WestJet pilots had voted in favour of job action after contract talks fell apart.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2023.

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