Canadian airline WestJet canceled 407 flights on Friday, June 28, affecting 49,000 passengers due to a surprise strike by the maintenance workers' union, the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, AP News reported.
Passengers at Pearson International Airport quickly expressed their frustration, with some stating that their travel plans, months in the making, were now uncertain due to the strike.
CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech defended the airlines from furious passengers by calling the movement a "rogue union from the U.S." attempting to gain influence in Canada.
The strike disrupted international and domestic flights and followed a federal government ministerial order for binding arbitration issued on Thursday. This order came after two weeks of intense negotiations between the airline and the union to attempt to reach a new collective-bargaining agreement.
WestJet's Response to the Surprise Union Strike
WestJet will keep most of its aircraft grounded (not in operation) until Sunday, part of a long weekend ending with the Canada Day holiday on Monday. Out of its fleet of about 200 aircraft, the airline anticipates that only about 30 planes will be in operation by Sunday evening.
These reductions in active flights are a response to the ongoing strike by the maintenance workers' union. Last week, VCPost mentioned that the airlines already canceled several flights in preparation for the upcoming strike.
However, von Hoensbroech blamed the current situation on the union group, stating that the binding arbitration order should have ended the bargaining, making the strike unnecessary.
Union members, however, disagree. A WestJet aircraft maintenance engineer, Sean McVeigh, said the strike aims to push the airline back to respectful negotiations.
While the union regrets any inconvenience to passengers, McVeigh emphasized that WestJet's lack of respectful dialogue necessitated the strike.
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