WestJet pilots and their employer are persevering with to carry talks because the union warns {that a} walkout might come as early as Tuesday.
The Air Line Pilots Affiliation, which represents some 1,600 flight crew at WestJet and subsidiary Swoop, says it’s poised to file a 72-hour strike discover simply after midnight.
Bernard Lewall, who heads the union’s WestJet contingent, says the employees’ points revolve round job safety, pay and scheduling, with some 340 pilots leaving the provider over the previous yr and a half – largely to different airways.
WestJet says there have been 3 times extra pilot hires than resignations at its mainline operation this yr.
The Calgary-based airline says its pilots are among the many greatest paid in Canada, however {that a} contract on par with these not too long ago secured by some U.S. pilot teams can be financially unworkable and put the corporate’s future in danger.
Labour shortages proceed to plague the aviation business, with a dearth of employees in areas starting from air site visitors management to floor dealing with because the sector begins to take off once more after the pandemic collapse and journey turmoil over the previous yr.
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Might 12, 2023.