WestJet pilots have voted to go on strike if a pay agreement has not been reached with the airline by May 16.
"This vote is a clear sign that WestJet pilots remain committed to securing a North American industry-standard contract," said the Air Line Pilots Int'l (ALPA) union, which reported that 93% of votes were in favour of going on strike,
"WestJet, despite repeatedly touting its growth strategy, is haemorrhaging around 30 pilots per month and is on track to lose up to 20% of its experienced pilot work force within the next year," ALPA said,
"We are hopeful that today’s strong strike vote result and the excellent show of unity displayed during our informational picket last month incentivise management to reach an agreement with us — an agreement that will provide job security and career progression for our pilots and, most importantly, stability to the airline and our passengers," said pilot Bernard Lewall, chair of the ALPA WestJet Master Executive Council.
WestJet responded to the strike announcement by saying it remained "waveringly committed to achieving an agreement that is competitive within Canada's airline industry and ensures we have a long-term sustainable future so that we can continue to operate critical air service for millions of Canadians, while providing jobs for thousands at the WestJet Group."