WestJet flight attendants on strike as union says company's proposal 'didn't go far enough'
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Orsign-inif you have an account. Hundreds of striking WestJet employees picketed outside the Calgary International Airport in Calgary on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. Darren Makowichuk/PostmediaWestJet flight attendants have walked off the job after a stalemate with their employer, forcing the airline to ground its planes and disrupting travel plans during a long weekend. Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. 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Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe strike follows weeks of failed deliberations after the unionauthorized the job action in Julyover a compensation model members say is out of touch with the shifting realities of flight work. WestJet revealed its proposal ahead of the strike Sunday morning, stating it had offered its flight attendants a retroactive wage increase of 13 per cent effective October and a 2. 5 per cent annual raise for the next three years — along with a new duty pay premium, which the company says is “designed to solve the union’s claim of unpaid work” and is equivalent to another 12 per cent salary bump. SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE: FP West: Energy Insider brings you behind the oilpatch’s closed doors with exclusive insights from insiders every Wednesday morning. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of FP West: Energy Insider will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againHowever, CUPE 8125 said the proposal “didn’t go far enough. ”“We tried until the very last minute to get a fair deal that recognizes the value of the work cabin crews do,” Alia Hussain, president of CUPE 8125, said in a news release issued overnight. More than 60 WestJet flights in and out of the Calgary International Airport on Saturday and Sunday werelisted as cancelledas of Saturday. WestJet has also offered a 13 per cent increase to the workers’ meal allowances, while increasing health-care spending to $300 per year. Frustrated flyers were at the airport as hundreds of striking WestJet employees picketed outside the Calgary International Airport in Calgary on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. Darren Makowichuk/PostmediaThe bone of the union’s contention is a wage model called credit hour pay in which the employer pays a higher rate for the duration of the flight to make up for the preparation before the plane takes off. As a result, staff are only paid for when they’re flying. The salary method, which had been restricted to pilots, was extended to flight attendants in 2001 after the latter advocated for the model. WestJet says the system is designed to benefit senior flight attendants, allowing them to make up their salary in fewer hours. Hundreds of striking WestJet employees picketed outside the Calgary International Airport in Calgary on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. Darren Makowichuk/PostmediaThe company told Postmedia that employees are allowed 80 credit hours a month, with 10 additional overtime hours. Senior flight attendants, who generally opt for long international flights, can receive close to 10 credit hours a day and, as a result, complete their monthly quota in between eight and 10 days. In contrast, junior flight attendants, who travel short distances, end up working more off-duty hours, leading to a significant pay disparity. However, the company offers a minimum of four credit hours a working day, with a guaranteed six credit hours if their duty exceeds 12 hours. Opting for a lower salary rate for all hours worked will diminish the privileges of senior staff who would have to work twice their usual hours, disincentivizing them to claim long-distance flights. Instead, WestJet flight attendants are seeking an accommodation similar to the one Air Canada’s workers secured last year. The company offered its employees 50 per cent — which rises in subsequent years — of some hours spent while preparing for the flight. Hundreds of striking WestJet employees picketed outside the Calgary International Airport in Calgary on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. Darren Makowichuk/PostmediaCUPE 8125 members have said WestJet’s compensation model worked at a time when flights faced fewer delays, and security checks weren’t as stringent. Now, planes spend more time stationed on the tarmac due to a lack of investment in airport infrastructure. However, WestJet said its existing collective agreement allows flight attendants an additional 50 per cent of their credit hour rate for every subsequent hour of work if their duty stretches beyond twice the duration of the flight. Meanwhile, if their duty exceeds 15 hours, flight attendants receive an additional $200 or $400 if they work 16 hours. They receive a maximum of $800 if they’re on the job for 17 hours. Hundreds of striking WestJet employees picketed outside the Calgary International Airport in Calgary on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. Darren Makowichuk/PostmediaThe strike comes two days after the airline said it had started the “difficult process” of parking 737 jets as it prepared for a potential work stoppage. “We have been clear about what needs to change, and we have worked hard to reach a fair deal,” said Hussain in a statement on Thursday. The union emphasized that issuing strike notice does not mean flight attendants want to go on strike. “CUPE 8125 has been clear throughout negotiations that its goal is to reach a fair agreement without disrupting passengers or the travelling public,” the union said. Frustrated flyers were at the airport as hundreds of striking WestJet employees picketed outside the Calgary International Airport in Calgary on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. Darren Makowichuk/PostmediaIf flights are cancelled, Gabor Lukacs, an air passenger advocate, said consumers must get “aggressive” about their rights. The rules around ticket cancellations by airlines are different depending on whether the decision was made before or during a strike by their employees. For instance, if an airline revokes a booking before the strike, a consumer is entitled to meals, a rebooking on another flight, accommodation if they’re on a connecting flight and financial compensation if they were informed about their cancellation fewer than 14 days before their original schedule. In case a flight is cancelled during a strike, then the airline is legally obligated to book their customers on another flight, even if it’s operated by a competitor. “Unfortunately, WestJet has a history of disregarding passengers’ rights,” Lukacs said. Frustrated flyers were at the airport as hundreds of striking WestJet employees picketed outside the Calgary International Airport in Calgary on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. Darren Makowichuk/PostmediaIn February 2025,WestJet was fined $204,000for failing to refund or rebook customers after the company’s mechanics walked off their jobs the previous year. If, during a strike, WestJet refused to rebook a passenger, Lukacs suggests booking another flight and writing to WestJet to have their ticket expenses reimbursed within 30 days. If it fails to compensate the passenger, then they could file a small claims case against the company. “It’s quite a clear-cut case,” he said. “The airline will have to explain to a judge why they didn’t rebook the passenger. ”Hundreds of striking WestJet employees picketed outside the Calgary International Airport in Calgary on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. Darren Makowichuk/PostmediaFP West: Energy Insider brings you behind the closed doors of the oilpatch, with exclusive insights from insiders every Wednesday morning. Sign up now. 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