A tentative agreement ended WestJet’s flight-attendant strike early Monday.
WestJet and the Canadian Union of Public Employees reached the deal at 4:15 a.m. MT. CUPE withdrew its strike notice and WestJet withdrew its lockout notice.
CUPE said the strike began at 12:01 a.m. MT Sunday after almost 11 months of bargaining and lasted 28 hours.
The tentative agreement will be presented to about 4,400 WestJet mainline flight attendants represented by CUPE Local 8125 for ratification.
The union said it would provide members with preliminary details before holding a series of ratification town halls. Members will be able to review the proposed contract, hear from the bargaining committee and ask questions before voting.
CUPE has not announced dates for the town halls or ratification vote.
“This tentative agreement represents meaningful progress,” CUPE Local 8125 President Alia Hussain said in a statement.
CUPE said the proposed contract would change the airline’s flight credit system by introducing a duty period premium. The union said the change would recognize more of the work cabin crew perform outside flying time and increase compensation for that work.
CUPE said the airline and union signed a return-to-work protocol that set the terms for flight attendants to return to work. The protocol said the previous collective agreement would apply until the tentative agreement is ratified or, if applicable, an arbitration award is issued.
It also established a one-week recovery period that relaxes certain limits on pairing length, sectors and consecutive days on duty for flights returning cabin personnel to their bases.
WestJet Encore flight attendants under separate agreement
WestJet Encore, the airline’s regional carrier, continued operating during the mainline strike.
Encore’s approximately 360 cabin crew members are also represented by CUPE Local 8125 but bargain under a separate collective agreement. The Encore unit served notice to begin bargaining a new agreement in April and was not part of the mainline job action.
WestJet said it had begun restoring its schedule, but some flights could be delayed or cancelled as aircraft and crews were repositioned.
“We know this disruption has been frustrating for our guests and WestJetters and we’re sorry for that,” WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said.
The airline advised passengers with upcoming travel to check their flight status, monitor their email and text messages and review their itinerary before going to the airport.
WestJet said passengers whose flights were cancelled would be rebooked on the next available flight, including flights operated by other airlines. Passengers who no longer wanted to travel could request a refund.
WestJet advised passengers who booked through a travel agency or third-party service to contact that provider for help processing changes or refunds.
The Canadian Transportation Agency said airlines have rebooking and refund obligations under the Air Passenger Protection Regulations. The requirements vary depending on the cause of the disruption, the size of the airline and the availability of replacement flights.
WestJet said Sunday that cancellations had disrupted August long weekend travel for about 250,000 customers.
The union said more than 99.4 per cent of flight attendants who voted in July authorized strike action, with 97.3 per cent of eligible members participating.
