WestJet mechanics set to strike at Pearson Airport in Mississauga, Ontario and other airports in Canada

WestJet mechanics have given notice they’ll go on strike at Pearson Airport in Mississauga and other airports across the country starting Thursday night unless a new collective agreement can be reached with Canada’s second-largest airline.

In a statement released Monday night, the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, which represents the carrier’s aircraft maintenance engineers, said it has served Calgary-based WestJet “with legal notice of the bargaining unit’s intention to strike beginning at 9 p.m. eastern time on June 20.”

The 72-hour strike notice was given in response to a formal request on Monday from WestJet that the matter be turned over to the Canadian Industrial Relations Board and Minister of Labour for arbitration to resolve the dispute.

“We are left with only one response,” the union said in its statement. “It is time to march, demonstrate and lobby elected officials … this must not stand.”

In its own statement released Tuesday, WestJet described contract talks as “a challenging negotiations process” and said its request for arbitration was an attempt to stave off any labour action as it “would allow an unbiased third-party to issue a collective agreement that would be binding on both parties.”

WestJet officials added the strike notice “does not mean travel disruption will occur.”

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Diederik Pen, president and chief operating officer of WestJet Airlines, said the company aims to avoid service disruption “and ensure a fair and impartial resolution, providing certainty to our guests and the communities we serve who are relying on us to fulfill their summer travel plans, as well as providing stability and security for all employees at the WestJet Group.”

Union officials, meanwhile, accused WestJet of backing out of further negotiations that had been planned this week between the two sides.

“WestJet now refuses to negotiate despite previous commitments by several company executives that bargaining would continue through this week,” the union said, adding the airline’s push for arbitration is unacceptable.

“The tactic is a clever one. If adopted by the Canadian Industrial Relations Board, it would utterly frustrate the (mechanics’) goal of reaching an industry-changing contract because arbitrators are generally driven by industry norms — the same norms that have kept (mechanics) under the heel of management and industrial unions which favour the unskilled majority.”

The AMFA represents both aircraft mechanics and related skilled employees/technical operations support members at WestJet.

Earlier in negotiations, workers staged an information picket on April 18 at Pearson, Canada’s biggest and busiest airport.

The union contends “wages have been suppressed” in Canada for several years. In an earlier online negotiations update, the mechanics association said an offer from WestJet in March that included wage increases of 3.5, 2, 2, 1 and 1 per cent over five years was not acceptable.

The union also is not pleased with current benefits being provided to its members.

(Cover photo: Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association X)