but there will be no strike WestJet Now this week the airline has struck a temporary labor agreement with a union representing hundreds of workers at Calgary and Vancouver airports.
airline and both Uniform Local 531 announced the deal on Sunday evening, days before about 800 baggage and customer service workers could leave.
Possible strike looms large as WestJet employees in Calgary, Vancouver seek new contract with airline
Unifor announced last week that workers had voted 98 percent in favor of the strike earlier this Wednesday if a deal could not be reached.
Neither party disclosed the specific terms of the potential deal, which is still subject to ratification.
The union issued a release saying that the agreement brings “long overdue pay increases and improved working conditions.”
The deal signed for the first time between the two sides will be presented to union members later this week.
Unifor has said pay was a major issue, with current pay starting at $15.55 an hour and topping out at $23.87 an hour seven years later.
Spokesman Scott Doherty said last week the pay scale hasn’t increased in more than five years, making WestJet’s pay one of the lowest in the Canadian aviation industry as inflation continues to mount.
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