SASKATCHEWAN — Flights have been cancelled at the Regina and Saskatoon airports after the union representing thousands of WestJet flight attendants went on strike.
The work stoppage began early Aug. 2. CUPE Local 8125, representing about 4,400 WestJet mainline flight attendants, previously issued a 72-hour strike notice. WestJet responded with its own 72-hour lockout notice.
The website for the Saskatoon International Airport shows that eight arrivals and eight more departures were cancelled for Aug. 2. The same number of flights were called off for Aug. 1 and 3.
Meanwhile, the website for the Regina Airport Authority shows six cancelled arrivals and five scuttled departures for Aug. 2.
In an interview with SaskToday's Denis Conroy on July 30, Regina Airport Authority president and CEO James Bogusz said all WestJet Boeing 737 flights serving Regina would stop operating in a labour disruption.
WestJet Encore Q400 aircraft is still flying in and out of Regina, but Bogusz cautioned trips could be disrupted if a connecting flight is on a Boeing 737.
Meanwhile, the Saskatoon International Airport said in a post on its Facebook page that the Saskatoon airport operations team continues to work closely with WestJet to determine the impact of the strike on the community.
"We encourage all passengers to check their flight status with the airline and to contact WestJet directly for more information or to request changes to their travel plans."
CUPE said on its Facebook page that it tried until the very last minute to get a fair deal that recognizes the value of the work cabin crews do, but CUPE Local 8125 president Alia Hussain said “WestJet’s offer did not go far enough."
“We are on strike because we believe we deserve better. 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.
“We would not be here if they had taken our concerns seriously for almost eleven months of bargaining.”
Meanwhile, WestJet shared details of its offer to avoid the strike, saying it includes wage increases across the board, including a 13 per cent increase effective Oct. 1, and 2.5 per cent jumps for each of 2027, 2028 and 2029; a retroactive wage payment to Jan. 1; and a new duty pay premium payment for all duty hours, which the company said is additional pay for all hours worked designed to solve the union’s claim of unpaid work. WestJet said it is equivalent to another 12 per cent of salary increase.
The airline has said affected passengers will be refunded or reaccommodated "as applicable".
WestJet has also suspended all air travel bookings due to the job action. According to the company, the suspension goes until Aug. 5, though if a deal isn’t reached before then it’s expected to last longer.
SaskToday will have updates as they become available.
