Intense bargaining between WestJet and the union representing its flight attendants ratcheted up further on Thursday after CUPE issued a 72-hour strike notice, paving the runway for a possible airline shutdown during the busy summer travel season.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees cancelled a news conference in Calgary on Thursday morning, saying it wanted to focus on hammering out a deal.
The union representing 4,400 cabin crew at WestJet said the two sides remain far apart on key issues.
"We have been clear about what needs to change, and we have worked hard to reach a fair deal," Alia Hussain, chair of the union’s WestJet contingent, said in a news release early Thursday.
"There's still time to avoid a strike," Hussain added. "We will continue to bargain around the clock until this is resolved."
WestJet responded to the union's strike notice by issuing a 72-hour lockout notice.
The carrier — the second-largest in Canada — said it is still actively negotiating to reach a deal.
"The decision to issue a lockout notice, in response to the actions taken by the union, was not one that was made lightly. We sincerely regret the inconvenience and uncertainty this continues to cause for our guests," said CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech in a statement.
"We greatly value the work and contributions of our cabin crew, and it is our responsibility to ensure the integrity of our network and to minimize the risk of stranding our guests, crew and aircraft."
While serving notice does not commit the union to a strike, job action could begin as soon as Sunday at 12:01 a.m. MT if the two sides don't reach a deal.
Unless a tentative agreement is reached, some flights could start to be grounded by Friday.
Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said Wednesday that "talks are progressing" and he remained hopeful a new collective agreement could be negotiated.
WestJet has been allowing passengers with flights scheduled any time between July 30 and Aug. 4 to make a one-time change or cancel it with no fee.
Travellers booked on its regional WestJet Encore service or code-share flights run by an airline partner such as Delta Air Lines will not be affected by a strike, the carrier said.
Should flight delays or cancellations occur, the airline said impacted guests will be refunded or reaccommodated, "as applicable."
The two sides this week also inked an agreement — shared with union members and obtained by The Canadian Press — that lays out how to ground planes and get cabin crew home in the event of a work stoppage.
Cabin crew working a flight when any job action kicks off would complete the trip to its destination. Those who can't immediately return to their home city would receive hotel accommodation for up to a week or a plane ride back to another Canadian city, "subject to seat availability," according to the wind-down deal.
The union has said key issues include unpaid work for tasks such as ground duties, while WestJet has said all duties are compensated through a “credit hour” system rather than an hourly rate.
John Gradek, who teaches aviation management at McGill University, has said even a brief shutdown would cost the carrier millions of dollars during the height of summer travel — on a long weekend across much of Canada.
The airline says it operates more than 600 flights per day carrying legions of passengers — more than 70,000 on some days.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
