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Striking WestJet flight attendants say 13% pay bump, 'duty pay premium' for pre-flight work not enough
A WestJet flight attendant strike is officially underway after the airline and the union failed to reach an agreement early Sunday morning, both sides announced, leaving untold thousands of travellers scrambling to adjust their plans.
CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said the airline was “disappointed” with the outcome and said it remains available to negotiate with CUPE 8125, the local which represents approximately 4,400 WestJet cabin crew.
“We presented a proposal that would have set a new standard for cabin crew in Canada, making WestJet the only airline to offer an hourly rate covering all time before and after flights, plus a double-digit wage increase in year one among other priorities the union raised,” von Hoensbroech said in a statement.
In a separate statement, the carrier said it offered a 13 per cent pay increase effective Oct. 1 and retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026, and 2.5 per cent annual increases through January 2029. Per diems would increase by the same amount on the same schedule.
It also proposed a new “duty pay premium — a payment for all duty hours (additional pay for all hours worked designed to solve the union’s claim of unpaid work), equivalent to another 12 per cent of salary increase.”
Other details of the proposal include a healthcare spending account of $300 annually, a 17-week maternity leave top-up, a new flexible part-time program, improved scheduling and res provisions, premium pay for certain flight reassignments, reduced maximum duty days on more demanding schedules and compensation for delays in accessing hotel rooms during layovers.
“It’s important to be clear about what was offered, what was not accepted, and what is leading to 250,000 guests whose August long weekend travel is cancelled, with further flights to follow, depending on the duration of the work stoppage,” the airline explained, noting inanother news release that 309 flights had been cancelled as late Saturday night.
WestJet has said impacted passengers will berefunded or reaccommodated “as applicable.”
CUPE 8125 president Alia Hussain said the offer “did not go far enough” and that flight attendants took labour action because they “deserve better.”
“Unpaid work is a big piece of our priorities, but we are bargaining a comprehensive contract,” she said in a statement, noting the strike could have been avoided had the airline taken “concerns seriously for almost 11 months of bargaining.”
National Post has contacted the union for more information on a media availability with Hussain scheduled for Sunday morning in Calgary, where talks had been ongoing.
Hussain also reiterated the union’s plea that the federal government refrain from involving itself.
When some 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants hit the picket line last summer, the federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu invoked section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to impose binding arbitration.
The Canada Industrial Relations Board then declared the strike unlawful and issued a return-to-work order that flight attendants defied for three days until an agreement was reached. Air Canada now pays for flight attendants for some ground duties.
From Terminal 3 at Toronto Pearson this morning: CUPE flight attendants take to the picket line in their fight against unpaid work and low pay at @WestJet . Read CUPE Ontario's statement of support and solidarity with the members of CUPE 8125: https://t.co/ZbZy8Jfe8C pic.twitter.com/IrJ26vlrd5
— CUPE Ontario (@CUPEOntario) August 2, 2026
“This is a disappointing development,” Hajdu wrote in a statement shared to X.
“A strike or lockout does not mean an agreement can’t be reached; the expectation is that parties can and should come to an agreement at the bargaining table.”
Meanwhile, Pascal Chan, vice-president of strategic policy and supply chains with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, called on Ottawa to “use every tool at its disposal to bring this dispute to a swift and fair resolution that will allow air service to resume.
“Canadians are contending with yet another shutdown of critical transportation infrastructure that we cannot afford to watch drag on,” he wrote in a statement.
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