Next! WestJet Flight Attendants Seek New Deal with ‘Unpaid Work’ as Key Issue
by Bruce Parkinson
.WestJet has added Winnipeg as a gateway to Belize.
Following in the footsteps of their colleagues at Air Canada, WestJet flight attendants are seeking a new deal that includes compensation for ‘unpaid work.’
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) served notice yesterday that it wants a new collective agreement for its WestJet members.
“WestJet flight attendants are professionals who deserve to be paid for every minute they’re on the job, from pre-boarding safety checks to post-flight duties,” Alia Hussain, president of CUPE 8125, said in a statement. “Unpaid work is unacceptable, and it’s time for that to end.”
The current collective agreement expires on Dec. 31.
Payment for ‘ground work’ – the time flight attendants spend assisting customers before the aircraft takes off and after it lands, was at the heart of the Air Canada dispute that resulted in a nearly four day strike in August impacting hundreds of thousands of Canadian travellers.
“Our message to WestJet is plain and simple. Pay us fairly. Pay us for all our time,” Hussain said.
Federal Jobs and Family Minister Patty Hajdu invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to order the attendants back to work, which the union defied.
The strike ended with the help of a federal mediator, and the two sides reached a tentative agreement. But AC’s flight attendants overwhelmingly voted to reject the deal, sending the wage issue back to mediation.Hajdu’s ministry has launched an investigation into the unpaid work issue, which it plans to complete before the end of the year.
