(Calgary) There will be no strike at WestJet this week as the airline has reached a tentative agreement with the union representing hundreds of workers at Calgary and Vancouver airports.
Posted yesterday at 11:09 p.m.
The airline and Unifor Local 531 announced the agreement on Sunday evening, avoiding any disruption to service before the strike deadline on Tuesday.
Unifor Local 531 represents nearly 800 baggage handlers, agents and customer service managers at airports in Calgary and Vancouver.
Unifor announced last week that workers had voted 98% in favor of a strike that would have started as early as Wednesday if a deal could not be reached.
Neither side has disclosed specific terms of the tentative agreement, which must be ratified. Details of the new agreement will be presented to members later this week at ratification meetings.
The union released a statement saying the agreement “brings long-awaited wage increases and improvements in working conditions.”
Unifor had indicated that wages were a significant issue. Current salaries start at $15.55 per hour and reach $23.87 per hour after seven years.
A Unifor spokesperson, Scott Doherty, pointed out last week that the pay scale had not increased in more than five years, making WestJet’s wages among the lowest in the country. Canadian aviation industry as inflation soars.
Negotiations began in October 2021 and Unifor Local 531 filed a request for conciliation with the Canadian government on April 26, 2022.