WestJet flight attendants on strike as union, airline fail to come to terms

CALGARY — WestJet’s 4,400 flight attendants went on strike early Sunday morning, and the airline halted all flights on a busy summer travel weekend after the carrier and union failed to reach a new contract.

Both CUPE, the union representing the workers, and the airline announced the move after a strike deadline passed.

WestJet’s check-in assistance line was empty at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Sunday morning, but there were many travellers about still looking for answers.

Carissa Fontaine and Karissa Sehn slept at the Toronto airport overnight after learning it will be at least a couple more days before they can get back to Saskatoon.

The pair recently returned from Amsterdam and said they slept on the cold airport floors.

“People were not helpful at all, unfortunately,” Sehn said at the WestJet check-in area.

The two aren’t sure where to stay or how to pass their time in the city. “I don’t know … is there a Jays game?” Fontaine laughed.

Contract talks had been ongoing in the carrier’s home city of Calgary, in an effort to bridge the gaps between WestJet and CUPE WestJet Component. Since the last contract expired on Dec. 31, 2025, wages and compensation for work being done on the ground have been among the biggest stumbling blocks.

WestJet said affected passengers will be refunded or reaccommodated as applicable.

“We’re disappointed to be here; this directly impacts the travel plans of our guests, our WestJetters and the communities and businesses we serve,” said CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech.

“We presented a proposal that would have set a new standard for cabin crew in Canada, making WestJet the only airline to offer an hourly rate covering all time before and after flights, plus a double-digit wage increase in year one among other priorities the union raised. Unfortunately, it wasn’t accepted.”

In a media release from the union, Alia Hussain said WestJet’s latest offer didn’t go far enough.

“We are on strike because we believe we deserve better,” said the president of the union’s 8125 local. “We are ready to go back to the table to settle. We hope the federal government will not interfere and will let the bargaining process run its course. Unpaid work is a big piece of our priorities, but we are bargaining a comprehensive contract.

Hours after the strike took effect, WestJet released the details of its latest proposal.

The deal offers what the company describes as significant across-the-board wage increases, starting with a 13 per cent boost in October 2026 and retroactive pay to Jan. 1.

That’s alongside a new duty pay premium worth an additional 12 per cent salary equivalent.

Also in the deal, an immediate 13 per cent per diem hike, annual $300 health-care spending accounts, expanded vacation, and a 17-week postpartum maternity leave top-up.

Scheduling and quality-of-life enhancements, including reduced maximum duty days, extra rest hours at home and away, and extra pay for reassignments or layover hotel delays, were also part of the package.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce called the strike an “unwelcome turn of events.”

“Canadians are paying the price with a work stoppage now underway at WestJet,” Pascal Chan, vice-president, strategic policy and supply chains, said in a statement Sunday. “Travellers are stranded, time-sensitive goods are grounded, and businesses and communities across the country face further disruption during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.”

WestJet had begun grounding planes and cancelling flights in the lead-up to a potential strike to avoid stranding passengers and crew.

They issued a 72-hour lockout notice Thursday, the same day the union gave notice it would strike

Along with wage rates generally, compensation for work done on the ground has marked a key stumbling block in the talks, less than a year after the same issue sparked a work stoppage by 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada.

A question mark dangling over the talks is how Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government might intervene.

Soon after Air Canada flight attendants went on strike over what they deemed unpaid work last August, Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu directed the country’s labour board to order them back on the job.

The union defied the order, forcing Air Canada back to the bargaining table where the parties hashed out a tentative deal. The union’s move marked an extralegal precedent that served as a warning to airline executives across the country in future negotiations.

Reaction to the news of a strike came swiftly from Hajdu, who said in a statement on social media that she was disappointed that no deal could be reached to avoid a disruption.

She reiterated previous comments that the strongest deals happen at the table, but did not say whether the government planned to intervene.

FETCO, a transportation employers’ association, said the strike indicates that the federally regulated private sector must change its collective bargaining system. WestJet is a member of the industry group.

FETCO also said it is proposing changes to the Canada Labour Code to avoid “catastrophic work stoppages,” arguing in a statement that strikes have become too frequent in the country and undermine Canada as a reliable place to conduct business.

Even a brief shutdown will cost WestJet millions of dollars during the height of summer travel — on a long weekend across much of Canada. The airline operates more than 600 flights per day carrying thousands of passengers — sometimes more than 70,000, according to the company.

WestJet’s current “credit hour” compensation system combines flight time, ground duties, delays and other labour into a “single, higher rate of pay” that is then credited across the work day, the company says on its website.

The pay rate ranges between $28.88 and $53.61 per credit hour. At 80 credit hours a month — considered full-time work — that adds up to between $27,700 and $51,500 per year.

While many airlines maintain this type of compensation structure, Delta Air Lines spearheaded reforms in 2022 when it became the first carrier in North America to pay flight attendants specifically for work done on the ground. American Airlines and Alaska Airlines followed suit with boarding pay of 50 per cent of regular rates.

In February, Air Canada flight attendants secured compensation for ground work that will climb to 70 per cent of their hourly rate for the hour before takeoff — also known as boarding pay.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 2, 2026.

The Canadian Press