(Calgary) A collective agreement between WestJet and its mechanics has been ratified, just weeks after a two-day strike led to widespread flight cancellations and cost the airline millions of dollars.
The new contract provides that aircraft mechanics will receive a 15.5 percent pay increase in the first year, a 3.25 percent increase in the second year and an additional 2.5 percent per year for the third, fourth and fifth years, the union that represents the mechanics, Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, announced Friday.
Bret Oestreich, the union’s national president, said he believes the agreement sets a new precedent for the industry and will likely lead to proactive wage increases at other carriers.
“Other airlines will now match what WestJet offers their AMEs [ingénieurs d’entretien d’avions]because they won’t want to lose their talent,” Oestreich said in an interview.
Ratification of the agreement provides “stability” to WestJet’s operations and reflects “the value and essential contributions” of aircraft maintenance engineers and other technical operations employees, Diederik Pen, the airline’s president and chief operating officer, said in a news release Friday.
“While we are grateful to have found a solution by following a clear path forward together as a unified team, we recognize that the unprecedented impact of the July long weekend disruptions remains concerning for our guests, the communities we serve and our employees,” said Pen.
The WestJet mechanics’ strike began on June 28 and lasted 29 hours over the Canada Day weekend, one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
This forced the Calgary-based airline to cancel more than 1,050 flights, affecting more than 100,000 customers.
The mechanics walked out despite a binding arbitration directive from federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan.
The airline and the federal government appeared to assume a strike was off the table at this point, but the Canada Industrial Relations Board said WestJet’s 680 unionized workers could still strike because the directive did not explicitly suspend that right.