Many travelers, both Canadian and American, are getting anxious over a possible strike by flight attendants at Canada’s second largest airline.
The union for WestJet’s 4,400 flight attendants have issued a 72-hour strike notice.
In response to the union's strike notice, WestJet has countered with a 72-hour lockout notice of its own.
It couldn’t have come at a worse time — during the busy summer travel season — and a grim reminder of the chaos of last summer when a labor dispute impacted travelers on Air Canada flights.
Although bargaining continues, many travelers are already looking for alternate arrangements. Others are waiting and hoping it doesn’t come to that.
Wages, unpaid work and working conditions are at the heart of the dispute. The flight attendants, members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, voted 99% in favor of a strike.
"It's the ground work. It’s not a novel issue," said labor lawyer Sundeep Gokhale. "We’ve seen it with Air Canada. We’ve seen it with other airlines across North America. Flight attendants want to be paid for all the time that they spend working before the wheels are up and after the wheels are down on every flight."
A union spokesperson said bargaining will continue around the clock until their issues are resolved. She also said the flight attendants regret the inconvenience and uncertainty the dispute is causing for travelers.
The Federal Minister of Jobs and Families, Patty Hajdu, said Canadians are counting on both parties to work together to reach a deal.
WestJet operates more than 600 flights a day, carrying tens of thousands of passengers.
If no deal is reached, some flights could be grounded Friday and the flight attendants could walk off the job as early as Sunday morning.
