Another August, another airline strike. WestJet flight attendants went on strike shortly after midnight Sunday morning, when the CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) bargaining committee representing the attendants failed to reach agreement with the airline on a new contract. The airline halted all flights on a busy summer travel weekend after the carrier and union failed to reach a new contract. Sunday morning in Calgary, CUPE recording secretary Cameron Jones said the bargaining committee was already back at the table -- and that the union expects jobs minister Patty Hajdu to stand back. “Like I said this morning, they are back at the table trying to get a deal that’s fair,” Jones said, “and what we can believe we can bring back to the flight attendants, and we expect the minister to allow that process to happen as per the Canada Labour Code.” During the 2025 Air Canada flight attendants strike, Hajdu imposed binding arbitration on the two parties, leading to the Canadian Industrial Relations Board issuing a back-to-work order, which the union defied. Jobs minister statement Early Sunday, Hajdu posted a statement on social media. “This is a disappointing development,” she said. “A strike or lockout does not mean an agreement can’t be reached. “The expectation is that the parties can and should come to an agreement at the bargaining table. “The federal government will always maintain that the strongest deals happen at the table. Canadians are counting on them to put their best efforts forward to reach a deal at the bargaining table.” WestJet responds 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. “First of all, I want to say that we have a lot of people that are booked this weekend to go to their destination. Families visiting, family members, people going on vacation, people going to their cottage, and we have had almost 200,000 people who got their travel plans disrupted for this weekend. This is incredibly sad. We want these airplanes to be flying and not to be sitting here on the ground,” said CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech. Hours after the strike took effect, WestJet released the details of its latest proposal. “We have made a transformative proposal to the union, which outpaces what others had done, so we have made an offer that would raise the salary of our valued inflight crew by 36% over four years, and it’s in broad strokes is 25% in year one, and we have made a proposal that addresses the number one concern that our cabin crew and the union have been raising, which is how we compensate for the hours before and after the flight,” said von Hoensbroech. 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. “We are here and ready to get this contract signed and to get those airplanes flying again on behalf of millions of Canadians that are worried on how they can get to their destination, and on behalf of 15,000 employees at WestJet that want to fly and that want to take our guests to their destination,” said von Hoensbroech. Jones wouldn’t say what the difference of opinion was with WestJet’s offer. “At this point, we’re not willing to bargain in public,” Jones said. “However, there were several priorities that were identified by our membership that had to be addressed in this round of bargaining. At this point, the bargaining community is trying to close that gap to get a deal that we believe is fair and that we can bring back to the membership, so that we can go back to work and doing the work that we love.” Stranded travellers Meanwhile, stranded WestJet passengers tried to improvise what comes next. “I’m frustrated. I’m going down (to the U.S.A) for work, but I also have a funeral as well,” said one unnamed stranded traveler. “So I am quite frustrated. Like, there’s one person working here. We’ve tried to call for the last couple of hours, and no one’s taking our calls, so it’s just unfortunate that this is how Westjet is handling the situation.” “It is stressful,” they added, “So we’re actually going to hop in the car and drive down to the U.S. and hopefully find another option.” Victoria Marsden was enroute from Scotland to Las Vegas when she found herself stuck in Calgary International Airport without a connecting flight. “I got on a connecting flight yesterday from Edinburgh to Calgary,” Marsden said. “If they would have told me that my connecting flight was going to be canceled from Calgary to Vegas, I would have never done the eight hour flight journey.” “I’ve been stuck in this airport with no help. They don’t give you anything,” Marsden said. “Hotels are all fully booked. You can’t get out of here, No food vouchers to buy anything to eat. I’ve slept on a marble slab in the airport. “I’ve been here since 12:50 p.m. yesterday,” she added. “I’ve booked another flight with them, which is canceled. That’s two flights that have canceled in the last two days, and then not one person at the bloody checkout desk to even help you again. It’s just a nightmare.” “I’ve never been to an airport where the management is not organized, knowing that they’re going to have all these passengers waiting to get on the connecting flights, and they’ve not even bothered to arrange all the flights for them with any other airline or nothing. “They just dumped us here,” she said. “it’s disgusting.” Carmen Westbrook was travelling from Victoria, B.C., to Phoenix when the strike started. “I have a job in Phoenix. I need to cancel all my customers because I was supposed to have them tomorrow. And I also have medicine to take every day. And my medicine I was filling up a box for one week. It’ll be a little bit more maybe, maybe nine days, but now I’m going to be without medicine for two or three days by the time I go back to Phoenix.” “This is not fair for me and for all the people that stopped here, you know, we need to sleep on the floor.” Chamber calls for quick resolution Saturday, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce issued a statement, calling for a quick resolution to the contract negotiations, saying a strike would have negative repercussions for Canadian tourism. “Air transportation is a critical service connecting people, businesses and supply chains across Canada,” said Chamber president and CEO Deborah Yedlin. “As one of Calgary’s largest employers and key drivers of our economy, WestJet operates approximately 700 flights each day and carries more than 70,000 passengers daily. “Whether flying for business, tourism or the movement of cargo, WestJet is integral to Canada’s role as a global trading partner,” Yedlin added. “With a busy season of travel ahead, disruption to this essential service could impact as many as 250,000 travelers through the long weekend, with the negative repercussions being felt on Canada’s tourism economy and supply chain networks. “Because of our vast size as a country, reliable air travel is critical for all Canadians, contributing to our quality of life by connecting us with family and loved ones from coast to coast to coast,” she said. “The Calgary Chamber urges WestJet and CUPE to reach a timely agreement that provides long-term stability for WestJet employees and the airline. Businesses and travelers need air transportation that is predictable and reliable. “Maintaining this confidence is essential to supporting economic growth and ensuring Calgary remains connected to markets within the country and around the world. “As Canada has experienced myriad labour disruptions in recent years – from ports to rail and air travel – we call on governments and unions to seek long-term solutions that eliminate the systemic threat to Canada’s economy.” Jones said the union hoped to reach a deal with the airline. “Once again, when we’re evaluating our deal overall, it’s a comprehensive package, and our bargaining committee is working to try and get a deal with WestJet that we feel we can bring back to the membership that acknowledges our time and what we’ve identified to WestJet for the last 11 months. “We’ve had our priorities of unpaid work and getting a reasonable wage increase, but it’s a comprehensive deal that we’re looking to achieve, and that’s something that our bargaining committee is evaluating at the table right now.” With files from CTV News’ Tommy Osborne and The Canadian Press
