Flights cancelled at Pearson Airport in Mississauga, Ontario due to looming strike

A number of flights have been cancelled today at Pearson Airport in Mississauga as mechanics with Canada’s second-largest airline prepare to go on strike as early as Thursday night.

Pearson Airport officials said in a post to social media Wednesday morning they’re keeping a close eye on news related to the labour action being planned by WestJet mechanics and other workers.

The mechanics and tech operations workers can go on strike as soon as Thursday night at 9 p.m. The pending job action would impact flights at Pearson and other airports across the country.

“The airline’s cancelling and consolidating of flights means some of today’s (Wednesday) planned flights at Toronto Pearson have been cancelled,” airport officials said in a post to X (formerly Twitter). “We are continuing to monitor this situation and will provide updates if available.”

Pearson officials didn’t say how many Wednesday flights and passengers are impacted by the looming strike. They urge travellers to check the status of their WestJet flight online.

In a news release issued late Tuesday night, WestJet said it has “started cancelling and consolidating flights” in response to the workers’ notice of strike that was issued Monday.

Videos

Read More

“We deeply regret any disruption this will have on our guests’ travel plans,” the carrier added.

WestJet said it has so far cancelled 40 flights at Pearson and other airports that were scheduled to take to the air yesterday and today.

In total, those cancellations have impacted 6,500 passengers, the company added.

Moving forward, WestJet officials said they’ll make every effort “to minimize the potential for (passengers and crew) being stranded and ensure the airline can avoid abandoning aircraft in remote locations.”

They added the decision to cancel flights comes as the WestJet Group awaits a response from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board regarding potential arbitration to avert a strike and reach a new deal with mechanics and other workers.

“We are immensely disheartened that we are in a position where we must activate our contingency plan and begin parking aircraft as a result of the strike notice,” said Diederik Pen, WestJet president and chief operating officer. “We deeply regret the disruption this will have on the travel plans of our guests, communities and businesses that rely on our critical air service.

“We will continue to manage our operations to the highest degree of safety and will never compromise in this area.”

WestJet also advises travellers to check the status of their flight online before leaving for the airport.

In a statement released Monday night, the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, which represents the carrier’s aircraft maintenance engineers, said it 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.”

Union officials have 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.

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.