Wednesday morning may see numerous Canadian travelers reconfirming their travel arrangements for the upcoming August long weekend, as the outcome of a strike vote held by approximately 4,400 unionized WestJet flight attendants is anticipated.
If the vote is in favor, union members represented by CUPE Local 8125 could potentially initiate a strike on Sunday, August 2, effectively halting WestJet’s operations, Canada’s second-largest airline, just before a statutory holiday in several provinces. WestJet could also opt to lock out flight attendants on that date as a federal “cooling off” period will have concluded.
Both parties must provide a 72-hour notice, meaning Canadians might not know until the end of the month whether their August flights will proceed as scheduled.
Negotiations between WestJet and unionized flight attendants for its mainline flights have been ongoing since late 2025. The previous contract between the Canadian Union of Public Employees and the airline expired at the end of last year.
WestJet’s CEO, Alexis von Hoensbroech, acknowledged that the age of the previous contract is one of the reasons why a new deal may require significant enhancements.
Similar to the Air Canada dispute with its flight attendants in the summer of 2025, WestJet is facing allegations from CUPE during the current contract talks that its members are not being fairly compensated.
Flight attendants at WestJet are remunerated based on set “credit hours” that can vary per flight duration. The airline argues that the credit hour wage is higher to account for additional duties during what may seem like unpaid hours.
The union contends that flight attendants are not adequately compensated for certain duties and has raised concerns about the payment structure not factoring in flight delays or unforeseen circumstances where cabin crew are on duty but not flying.
WestJet flight attendants have posted calculations online showing instances where they would earn less than the federal minimum wage for certain schedules. However, WestJet conducted a self-audit that identified only a few cases where minimum wage may not have been met, attributing these instances to employee modifications to their schedules.
The union is committed to reaching a deal with WestJet and continues to negotiate despite the strike vote. WestJet has highlighted progress made on various collective agreement items but acknowledges that several issues, including schedules and wage levels, are still contentious.
WestJet faced a significant labor dispute in the summer of 2024 involving unionized airline mechanics, which impacted tens of thousands of travelers over the Canada Day long weekend.