WestJet flight attendants vote in favour of strike action

WestJet's flight attendants decided Wednesday (July 15) to authorize a strike action that could start as early as Sunday, August 2, during a long weekend.

The end of a federal cooling-off period would also give the airline the option of locking out flight attendants.

Either side would be required to provide 72 hours' notice, meaning Canadians may not know until the end of the month whether their August flights will proceed.

WestJet's roughly 4,600 cabin crew, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 8125, have completed a strike vote that opened on July 9. 

The union was urging members to vote in favour of a strike because it strengthens its bargaining position. 

"WestJet Flight Attendants have spoken loud and clear," wrote the WestJet Component of CUPE on its Facebook page early Wednesday morning. 

According to the voting results, 99.4 per of members voted yes with a 97.3 per cent member participation, 

"These extraordinary results send a powerful message to WestJet management: our membership is united, engaged, and determined to achieve the fair contract we deserve," the union wrote.

In a press release, CUPE 8125 emphasized that, from the beginning, its goal has been to achieve a negotiated agreement and minimize any impact on travellers. 

Due to "stalled negotiations" with WestJet, the strike vote "became necessary to move the process forward at the bargaining table,"  the union said. 

Alia Hussain, CUPE 8125 President, called on WestJet to return to bargaining with a new focus. 

“The members of CUPE 8125 are united and determined," Hussain said in a statement. "They voted to strike because they stand behind the bargaining priorities that they have identified, especially pay for all hours of work performed. WestJet should do the right thing and prevent travel disruptions for their passengers.”

Wages, compensation & scheduling

The union and airline have been bargaining over a range of issues, including wages, compensation, scheduling, work-life balance and other workplace concerns. The federally mandated conciliation process concluded on July 11.

As previously reported, WestJet's mainline flight attendants have been without a collective agreement since their previous contract expired at the end of 2025.

In recent days, CUPE 8125 has stepped up public pressure by holding informational pickets at Toronto Pearson airport on Sunday and at Calgary and Winnipeg airports on Tuesday (July 14).

The union has emphasized that a successful strike vote does not automatically mean job action will take place.

Rather, it provides members with an opportunity to authorize a walkout “should it become necessary at a later stage of the bargaining process, while strengthening the bargaining committee’s position in negotiations.”

WestJet flight attendants are currently paid under a credit-hour system, a compensation model widely used by North American airlines. The framework includes minimum monthly pay guarantees, overtime provisions and other contractual protections.

However, CUPE argues the model no longer reflects the realities of the job.

The union says flight attendants receive a single rate of pay covering both time in the air and work performed on the ground, rather than being compensated separately for all hours spent on duty.

As previously reported, the union claims flight attendants are working an average of 35 unpaid hours each month.

According to WestJet, cabin crew currently earn between $28.45 and $53.61 per credit hour, while widebody cabin managers are paid between $37.54 and $69.69 per credit hour.

But the union has also published calculations online that it says show several flight attendant schedules from May and June resulting in pay below the federal minimum wage of $18.15 an hour.

You can tell things are heating up.

On Wednesday morning, before the strike vote results were announced, the WestJet Component of CUPE updated its Facebook logo to an image of an airplane rising like a phoenix from a bed of flames.

“A wrong characterization”

In an interview with CTV News last week, the WestJet Group’s CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said flight attendants claiming they work around 35 unpaid hours every month is “a wrong characterization.”

The head of the Calgary-based airline said crew are compensated “for every single hour they work,” and that “anything else would be illegal, naturally.”

He explained how WestJet’s flight attendants have been compensated under a block-hour pay system for roughly 25 years, after employees requested a model similar to the one used by pilots.

Under the agreement, the hourly rate was increased and minimum pay guarantees were introduced to ensure flight attendants are compensated even during periods with little flying, he told the outlet.

The CEO rejected the claims that flight attendants are paid only for the time an aircraft is moving, saying that characterization "is absolutely not true.”

“They're compensated for everything,” he told CTV. “Even if they don't fly a single hour in a month, they still get a full salary. So, there's a little bit of misleading the public here.”

In a detailer posted to WestJet’s website, the airline breaks down its credit hour system for flight attendants, which it calls “the standard pay model for cabin crew across North America.”

The labour dispute comes less than a year after 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants, who are also represented by CUPE, issued a strike notice that prompted the airline to begin suspending flights.

Air Canada resumed operations three days later after reaching a mediated agreement with the union, agreeing to pay flight attendants for pre-departure ground duties at 50 per cent of their hourly wage during the hour before takeoff, with that rate rising to 70 per cent by the fourth year of the agreement.

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