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Flight attendants at Canada's WestJet go on strike in dispute over pay
ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos • • business
Key Points:
- WestJet flight attendants, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees, began a strike over pay disputes, leading to the cancellation of more than 300 flights during a busy holiday weekend in Canada.
- The core issue centers on compensation for ground duties, with the union claiming some work is unpaid, while WestJet defends its “credit hour” pay system instead of an hourly wage.
- WestJet’s CEO stated the airline offered a proposal including an hourly rate for all pre- and post-flight time and a significant wage increase, but the union rejected the offer as insufficient.
- Both the union and WestJet expressed willingness to resume negotiations to resolve the dispute, while unaffected flights include WestJet Encore and code-share operations.
- The strike echoes a similar 2023 Air Canada flight attendant strike over groundwork pay, which disrupted travel for over 100,000 passengers before an agreement was reached.
