WestJet regional pilots, mechanics picket as strike deadline nears

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WestJet regional pilots and mechanics picketed exterior Calgary Worldwide Airport on Friday afternoon as negotiations with the airline’s government management drag towards a possible mid-April strike.

Pilots for WestJet Encore, the airline’s regional arm serving small communities, are searching for 15- to 30-per-cent wage will increase and higher profession development towards WestJet’s mainlines.

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Whereas either side have reached a handful of tentative agreements in current months, the Air Line Pilots Affiliation (ALPA) and WestJet stay far aside on a number of key points, stated Carin Kenny, chair of the WestJet Encore grasp government council.

“There’s been some progress . . . however not on the most important stuff,” Kenny stated Friday.

Standing exterior the airport as pickets milled behind, WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech stated coming to an settlement will take a while however didn’t specific concern a couple of potential strike from both Encore pilots or mechanics.

“We’re right here to provide you with an answer that works for either side, and contracts solely go in the event that they work for either side. They by no means go in the event that they solely work for one aspect, and that’s why we have to discover a center floor,” stated von Hoensbroech.

Tim Perry, ALPA president, stated WestJet administration stated negotiations may very well be additional alongside.

“They’ve been enjoying this slowly,” Perry stated.

WestJet mechanics negotiating first collective settlement with firm

In the meantime, WestJet mechanics, represented by the Plane Mechanics Fraternal Affiliation (AMFA), are additionally in the midst of reaching their first collective bargaining settlement with WestJet administration.

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Encore pilots and WestJet’s mechanics’ negotiations share the identical drop-dead date of April 17, that means the 2 might find yourself putting on the identical day. An AMFA strike would have main results throughout WestJet’s complete airline, together with Sunwing Airways, as a result of its mechanics service its complete fleet.

Ian Evershed, airline consultant for AMFA, stated planes have to be serviced each 72 hours, that means a mechanic strike would have fast results throughout WestJet’s community. Whereas the conciliation interval ends March 26, that interval may very well be prolonged.

Evershed didn’t say what WestJet mechanics are searching for within the contract, however stated negotiations are primarily targeted on wages.

As a result of it will likely be WestJet’s first collective settlement with mechanics, von Hoensbroech stated negotiations are taking longer they’re with Encore pilots.

“We’re mainly ranging from zero, and this naturally takes a bit longer as a result of it’s essential grind via the whole lot and create paragraphs for each single factor,” the WestJet CEO stated.

Evershed stated there’s “plenty of items at play.”

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“There’s plenty of work nonetheless to be performed in a really brief time. That’s quite a bit to get via,” he stated.

The negotiations come on the heels of final summer time’s bargaining with WestJet’s mainline pilots, resolved on the eleventh hour and narrowly avoiding the primary strike within the Calgary-based firm’s historical past.

“All of us hope (we keep away from) journey disruptions. We don’t need passengers to have any disruptions,” Perry stated.

mscace@postmedia.com
X: @mattscace67

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