Only Unifor can stop your jobs from being outsourced

Protecting Your Jobs and Your Future Together

This summer has been incredibly challenging for everyone at the WestJet Contact Centre and WestJet vacations. Despite Onex WestJet's efforts to manage disruptions, the burden has fallen on you, the frontline workers. While the company has announced measures to cope with high call volumes and disruptions, such as hiring third-party contractors and launching new tools, deeper concerns must be addressed.

The Threat of Outsourcing and the Need for Collective Action

This isn’t the first time Onex WestJet has considered outsourcing your jobs to companies like Teleperformance and WNS, which are known for shifting contact centre operations overseas to maximize profits. In March 2022, Unifor shared information about the outsourcing risk with call centre workers (read here).

At that time, there were serious discussions about moving your operations to the Philippines—a move that would have jeopardized many of your jobs. These companies aim to transition contact centres away from supporting customers towards a model that focuses solely on cutting costs and increasing profits, often at the expense of quality service and job security.

Currently, WNS is used for live chat functions, both in-house and guest-facing, across multiple functions at WestJet and WestJet Vacations. They are eager to take over more of your work. Without a Unifor collective agreement, you are always at risk of more outsourcing. A collective agreement would include strong job ownership language, protecting you from further outsourcing.

If Onex WestJet genuinely cared about your quality of life, it would hire more workers, increase staffing levels, and provide in-house training rather than outsourcing your work.

When employers say they will "help" by outsourcing your work, it should raise a real concern. In their own words, they plan to "augment staff through a third-party contractor to help address staffing levels and provide resiliency (particularly during disruptions) to support in SSC and WVI phone queues."

Why is the CCEA not stopping this?

Why You Need to Unionize Now

Joining a union like Unifor can provide a collective agreement legally protecting your jobs from being outsourced. It ensures that any changes to your work conditions, staffing, and job security are negotiated with your best interests in mind. A union can fight for job ownership language that explicitly prevents your roles from being sent overseas and advocates for the support you need during peak periods and disruptions.

Taking Control of Your Future

We’ve seen how Onex WestJet operates—they’ve already outsourced some of your jobs and continue to carve them up and outsource them a little at a time. Without a strong, collective voice, nothing stops them from doing it again or outsourcing the entire operation. You owe it to yourselves and your colleagues to act before more decisions could negatively change your livelihoods. By joining together, you can protect your jobs, improve working conditions, and ensure you have a say in your workplace.

It’s time to stand up for your rights and ensure your voices are heard.

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In solidarity,

Billy O’Neill
Unifor National Representative Organizing
416.605.1443
[email protected]

Lucy Alessio
Unifor National Coordinator Organizing
416.998.3189
[email protected]