WestJet strike ends with tentative agreement

WestJet says it will take “several days” to restore operation. More than 600 flights were in limbo and some 250,000 travellers were affected, according to Canada's second-largest airlines. Photo by Darren Makowichuk /Postmedia

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WestJet has reached an agreement with the union representing more than 4,000 flight attendants and cabin crew to end a strike that disrupted flights over the long weekend.

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The deal ends a work stoppage that had threatened to derail summer travel for thousands of travellers.

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The tentative agreement will be presented to its members for a ratification vote, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said in a press release Monday morning. In the meantime, flight attendants would return to work.

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“This tentative agreement represents meaningful progress. It evolves the flight credit system by recognizing more of the work cabin crew are required to perform and with general increases to compensation for that work,” Alia Hussain, president of CUPE local 8125, said in a statement. “Most importantly, this agreement was achieved through collective bargaining at the negotiating table.”

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Details of the agreement have not been disclosed; the union began its strike early Sunday morning due to a  dispute over the lack of compensation for work flight attendants do on the ground, such as boarding passengers and managing delays.

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On Sunday, WestJet had said it had offered a 13 per cent pay increase retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026 and a 2.5 per cent annual wage increase until 2029. The offer also included a new “duty pay premium,” defined as “additional pay for all hours worked designed to solve the union’s claim of unpaid work.” This would amount to another 12 per cent increase in salary, according to the airlines.

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Additionally, benefit concessions included increased health-care spending and a maternity leave top-up as well as changes to the scheduling and compensation schemes, National Post previously reported.

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Meanwhile, WestJet says it will take “several days” to restore operation. More than 600 flights were in limbo and some 250,000 travellers were affected, the Calgary-based carrier had said.

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“We are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement that reflects the hard work and professionalism our cabin crew,” Alexis von Hoensbroech, the chief executive officer of WestJet, said in a statement.

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Patty Hajdu, the federal minister of jobs and families, said she was involved “throughout” negotiations and thanked both parties and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service for their work.

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Passengers whose flights have been affected are asked to check their flight status and watch their emails and text messages for alerts.

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