Air travellers are bracing for potential flight disruptions during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, when thousands of WestJet workers could be walking off the job. The union representing 4,400 WestJet flight attendants says its members have voted “overwhelmingly” in favour of strike action. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 8125 said the vote was 99.4 per cent for a strike. CUPE says 97.3 per cent of its membership cast ballots. Now, the company and union will undertake a 21-day cooling-off period before talks can resume. This means a strike could take place as early as Aug. 2. In a statement, the union says its end goal has always been “a negotiated agreement” that would “minimize any impact on travellers.” The strike vote materialized when it was clear negotiations had stalled, the union said. “The members of CUPE 8125 are united and determined,” said CUPE 8125 president Alia Hussain. “They voted to strike because they stand behind the bargaining priorities that they have identified, especially pay for all hours of work performed. WestJet should do the right thing and prevent travel disruptions for their passengers.” It follows 11 months of negotiations with WestJet. “The second-largest carrier in Canada, and somehow our flight attendants are amongst the lowest paid,” said Hussain. Flight attendants’ wages don’t start before the doors of the aircraft close, and the union says they each work up to 35 unpaid hours a month, including boarding and waiting on the tarmac. The airline says their hourly wage is created to compensate that work. “Every hour a flight attendant works is compensated,” said Alexis von Hoensbroech, WestJet CEO, who added the airline is determined to reach an agreement to show the cabin crew they are valued while keeping the company sustainable. Last year, an Air Canada flight attendants’ strike lasted three days, impacting about half a million passengers before the federal government ordered them back to work. WestJet is smaller, but a strike could still have a big impact. “Probably about 70,000 to 75,000 passengers a day at WestJet interrupted,” said John Gradek, an aviation management professor at McGill University. Travel expert Onanta Forbes, who works as a consultant and with Travel Time Inc., suggests coming up with backup plans early, in case of a strike. “I would definitely look at other airlines to see if I could book a refundable flight to get home. If I didn’t have to come home on Aug. 2, I might push it later or earlier,” said Forbes. She said when travel plans change, remain flexible and patient, and don’t just plan backups for your travels but for things back home, too. “If you can’t go on the fight you want to go on, then you have to look at accommodation; then you have to look at food, expenses. So, you have to factor in dog care, home care, work.” Gabor Lukács, the founder and president of Air Passenger Rights, says if your flight is cancelled, document all expenses and react if the airline doesn’t quickly rebook you to depart within 48 hours. “Give the airline a chance to do the right thing and comply with the law. If they refuse, buy a ticket and then make the airline pay for it, and that means taking the airline to small claims court and suing them and making sure that they pay what they owe you,” said Lukács. The vote in favour of strike action came just before the Turala family got on a WestJet flight to China. They don’t expect to be back in Calgary until next month. “Flying home on Aug. 2. Could be difficult, right?” said Daniel Turala of Calgary. This family is already considering changing plans in hopes of avoiding a possible strike. “I’ll probably stay an extra week, probably a good plan instead of having delays in the airport,” said Turala, who said he would have to figure out if it was possible with his job. His 12-year-old son, Ayden, is on board with the idea of a longer vacation to avoid potential flight disruptions. “I don’t want to wait for my flight longer because I don’t really like waiting in airports,” he said.
