if you have plans to fly on WestJet anytime soon pay attention to this next story because the airline is talking about a possible strike again one that could strand hundreds of thousands of passengers just as we head into the Canada Day long weekend so Scott we were talking about this just a few years ago and it seemed to have been resolved at least temporarily clearly not and from the sounds of what the company is saying it’s uh more bitter now with the impact being even broader it is and this so this is the second attempt at both the Union mechanics Union and WestJet to sit down and that fell apart yet again the last time they said they were both committed to the bargaining process this time not so much and this time both blaming the other person for the lockdown uh for the lockout and for the strike initiated by the mechanics Union a uh and according to WestJet the work stoppage could start as soon as Friday night 700 pm. eastern time and also said that as a result WestJet had no option other than to issue the lockout as it tries to minimize the disruptions to potentially hundreds of thousands of passengers now WestJet says that they offered a 22% pay raise increase over four years making the mechanics Union the best paid of their kind in the country but in a statement WestJet CEO blamed the union fairly for targeting the busy July weekend as a as a as a weapon saying the mechanics un Union left us no choice but to follow with a lockout notice to manage uh travel disruption to hundreds of thousands of guests it is Our obligation in the coming days to ensure the safety and morally take down of our network and to minimize the risk of stranding our guests our crew and our aircraft so on the other side of the equation here the mechanics Union saying that uh they voted 97% against this offer from WestJet said that they were trying to impinge on their collective bargaining the right to collective bargaining saying that they wanted some sort of binding arbitration that was against the ethics uh the the feelings of the Union themselves so they’re beginning uh preparations to reduce their schedule they’re also providing flexible change and cancellation for passengers that are nervous about coming into the weekend and also saying that people we will be refunded for delays or cancellations but certainly you’re right the rhetoric with both sides has been ramped up here to indicate that maybe we’re going to see a real lock out and walk off the job on Friday okay I know you’ll be in touch with both sides for new developments through the day thank you Scott really appreciate it uh as we follow that story as it uh potentially could affect your travel this weekend
WestJet says the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association has issued a second strike notice that could mean a work stoppage as early as Friday, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers.
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