WestJet cancels 407 flights, affecting 49,000 passengers, due to a surprise strike by the maintenance workers union. Discover the details and passenger reactions.
Bollywood Fever: Canada’s second-largest airline, WestJet, announced the cancellation of 407 flights, impacting 49,000 passengers, following a strike by its maintenance workers union.
The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association declared the strike on Friday evening, citing the airline’s “unwillingness to negotiate” as the primary cause. This strike, affecting both international and domestic flights, followed a ministerial order for binding arbitration issued by the federal government on Thursday, after two weeks of intense negotiations.
WestJet plans to continue grounding aircraft through Sunday, leading up to the Canada Day holiday on Monday. Of the airline’s approximately 200 aircraft, only about 30 will be operational by Sunday evening.
CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech blamed the situation on what he called a “rogue union from the U.S.” attempting to gain influence in Canada. He argued that the strike was unnecessary given the government’s directive for binding arbitration. “A strike makes no sense because the bargaining table no longer exists,” von Hoensbroech said. He also mentioned that the union had rejected a contract offer that would have made WestJet’s mechanics the “best-paid in the country.”
The union, however, referenced an order by the Canada Industrial Relations Board that does not explicitly prohibit strikes or lockouts during arbitration. Sean McVeigh, a WestJet aircraft maintenance engineer picketing at Toronto Pearson International Airport, stated that the strike aimed to compel the airline to engage in “respectful negotiation.” He expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to passengers but emphasized that the strike was a response to the airline’s lack of negotiation.
Passengers at Pearson, such as Samin Sahan and Samee Jan, expressed frustration over the disrupted travel plans. Sahan described their efforts to clarify the rescheduling of their flight to Calgary, which had been planned for months, as leaving their plans uncertain. “This inaction is hurting a lot of people,” Sahan said, criticizing the airline’s handling of the situation. Jan described the situation as “sad.”
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