Things are moving at YEG. Over the past several weeks, more workers have been stepping forward, signing Unifor membership cards, and starting conversations about what comes next. Whether you signed recently or were one of the earlier supporters, that momentum is important. It is how change begins.

Across the country, WestJet workers are choosing to organize together.

Thousands of WestJet airport workers in Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto are already preparing to negotiate their second collective agreement this year. They are building on what they have already won and pushing for further improvements including clear rules, fairness, wage increases, and protections on the job. They have a say in their workplace through collective bargaining, not rules imposed on them.

On December 18, 2025 Unifor has applied to the Canada Industrial Relations Board to represent nearly 800 Contact Centre workers so they can secure the same protections. Crew Schedulers are awaiting a decision from the Canada Industrial Relations Board on their certification application. Technical, Administrative, and Professional Services (TAPS) workers at the Calgary campus are signing cards and building support. This is not happening in isolation. It is happening across WestJet.

Workers are looking to the union because they understand what is at stake.

Onex has been clear about its plans. WestJet was acquired by a hedge fund with the intention of selling it. That was always the strategy. Decisions made to prepare a company for sale are not made with long term job security in mind. They are made to increase value, reduce costs, and maximize returns.

At the same time, WestJet leadership has talked openly about business losses, net growth pressures, and that everything is on the table. When employers use language like that, workers know what it can lead to. Job losses. Outsourcing. Restructuring. Fewer protections.

This is why workers organize.

A union collective agreement brings enforceable protections and ensures fairness. It puts clear rules in place around scheduling, contracting out, and job security. It gives workers a voice when decisions are being made instead of learning about them after the fact.

WestJet Internal Associations and Misinformation

We are hearing that association representatives have been telling some workers that not everyone is happy with the union. What often gets left out of that story is what is actually happening on the ground.

Unionized airport workers are actively engaged in their collective agreement. They are participating in surveys, setting priorities, and getting ready for bargaining this year. That is what real representation looks like. Workers setting the agenda and holding their employer accountable through a binding agreement.

It is also worth being clear about whose interests are being served when fear or doubt is raised. Association representatives are not accountable to you in the same way a union is. Their role exists at the discretion of the employer. It is reasonable to ask whether efforts to discourage organizing are about protecting workers, or protecting those roles.

At the end of the day, the union works for the members. Full stop.

For those who signed a card some time ago in TAPS or at YEG, your support helped get us here. If your card has expired, renewing it strengthens the momentum that is clearly building. For those who signed recently, you are part of a growing movement of WestJet workers choosing collective strength over uncertainty.

This is about standing together with thousands of your coworkers across the country and securing real protections for the future.

More to come soon.

Billy O'Neill
Unifor National Representative, Organizing
416.605.1443
billy.oneill@unifor.org

Lucy Alessio
Unifor National Coordinator, Organizing
416.998.3189
lucy.alessio@unifor.org