WestJet and mechanics' union ratify contract in aftermath of strike

A collective agreement between WestJet and its mechanics has been ratified, just weeks after a two-day strike forced large-scale flight cancellations and cost the airline millions of dollars.

The new contract will see airplane mechanics receive a 15.5 per cent wage hike in year one, a 3.25 per cent hike in year two, and additional 2.5 per cent increases annually in years three, four and five, the union said Friday.

Bret Oestreich, national president with the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, said he believes the contract sets a new precedent for the industry and will likely prompt proactive wage increases at other carriers.

"Other airlines now are going to be matching what WestJet is giving to their AMEs (aircraft maintenance engineers), because they won't want to lose their talent," Oestreich said in an interview.

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The contract ratification provides "stability" for WestJet's business and reflects the "instrumental value" of its mechanics and technical operations employees, said Diederik Pen, the airline's president and chief operating officer.

"While we are grateful to have achieved resolution with a clear path forward together as a unified team, we recognize that the unprecedented impact of the disruption over July long weekend is still concerning for our guests, the communities we serve and our people," Pen said in a news release Friday.

100K customers affected

The strike by WestJet's mechanics began on June 28 and lasted 29 hours of the Canada Day long weekend, one of the busiest travel windows of the year.

It forced the Calgary-based airline to cancel more than 1,050 flights, affecting more than 100,000 WestJet customers.

The mechanics walked off the job despite a directive for binding arbitration by federal Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan.

Both the airline and the federal government seemed to presume a strike was off the table at that point, but the Canada Industrial Relations Board said the union's 680 WestJet workers could still strike because the directive had not explicitly suspended that right.