WestJet Mechanics Overwhelmingly Reject Tentative Agreement, Union Reports

By Madz Dizon

Jun 12, 2024 05:52 PM EDT

WestJet Mechanics Overwhelmingly Reject Tentative Agreement, Union Reports — A WestJet plane lands at LaGuardia Airport in New York on July 29, 2018.
(Photo : DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)

The mechanics' union at WestJet announced that its members have voted to reject a tentative agreement with the airline by a significant margin.

According to Globe and Mail, the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, representing approximately 670 aircraft maintenance engineers and other skilled trade positions at the carrier, reported that an overwhelming 97 percent of its members voted against the deal.

WestJet President Expresses Concern Over Agreement's Rejection

WestJet assures that the outcome will not impact its operations; however, company president Diederik Pen expressed significant worry over the result.

According to Pen, the agreement would have resulted in employees becoming the highest-paid airplane mechanics in the nation following what they described as difficult negotiations for their initial collective agreement.

The union has highlighted wages, outsourcing, scheduling, and layoff protection as key concerns during the bargaining process.

A tentative deal was reached between the parties on May 6, just two days after WestJet issued a 72-hour lockout notice to mechanics in response to their strike vote announcement.

WestJet Pilots' Union Strike

A few weeks ago, the labor group said WestJet Encore reached a tentative agreement with its pilots' union regarding a new contract. This positive development has effectively prevented a strike at the Canadian regional carrier.

Reuters said the 72-hour strike notice issued by the union prompted a new agreement between the management and the government. This development follows the unsuccessful ratification of a previous agreement on May 10.

WestJet Encore operates a network of regional flights that connect with WestJet Airlines' mainline service.

WestJet, owned by Onex Corp, has been engaged in a competitive race with Air Canada to address Canadian pilots' concerns regarding the earnings disparity between their counterparts in the United States.

In a recent development, the company secured a tentative agreement with the union representing its maintenance engineers, effectively avoiding any potential work stoppage.