WestJet employees at the Calgary and Vancouver airports have voted in support of the strike if an agreement is not reached with the airline.
Unifor says that 98 percent of customer service agents, among local and other employees representing more than 700 baggage, voted to strike, and may leave by July 27.
Unifor spokesman Scott Doherty said Wednesday that wages are the key issue in talks on the group’s first collective agreement with Carrier.
“Pay scales have not increased in more than five years, making WestJet’s pay one of the lowest in the Canadian aviation industry and no match for rising inflation,” he said in a statement.
The union also highlighted the “pressure cooker environment”, saying workers faced verbal abuse and physical threats from passengers whose flights were delayed or canceled by the carrier.
“We’re burnt out,” said Sherwin Antonio, a member of Unifor Local 531’s bargaining committee in Calgary.
WestJet’s executive vice president Angela Avery said the strike vote is a “normal step” in the negotiation process and was “not unexpected”.
“We are focused on successfully negotiating an agreement that provides value to our airport employees,” she said in a statement.
“As the airline rebuilds, most of its airport employees have been with the company for less than a year, and the vast majority of over-tenured airport employees will be left with Canada’s industry leading variables in addition to the existing pay phase structure. The increase has been achieved by way of compensation.”
Before taking any strike action, Unifor must serve WestJet with 72 hours’ notice.
The strike vote comes as airlines and airports struggle to cope with a massive resurgence in travel this summer following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, which have led to ongoing staff shortages and global flight networks. Amidst the hiccups, the demand of two years was fulfilled.
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