We wanted to provide an update on several of the organizing campaigns currently underway across WestJet, as well as some developments elsewhere in the airline industry that may be of interest.

Crew Scheduler Campaign

Unfair Labour Practice Remains Before the CIRB

Unifor has now filed its reply submissions with the Canada Industrial Relations Board regarding the outstanding Unfair Labour Practice complaint involving WestJet Crew Schedulers.

As many of you know, this complaint arose after WestJet excluded Crew Schedulers from compensation improvements and wage structure increases that were provided to other employee groups while the certification application was before the Board.

Unifor's position remains straightforward: employees should not lose compensation opportunities or be treated differently because they exercised their legal right to seek union representation.

The Union's latest filing responds directly to WestJet's arguments and continues to seek remedies for the affected employees. The matter remains before the Board and we will continue to provide updates as they become available.

What Air Canada Crew Schedulers Recently Achieved

Many Crew Schedulers have asked what a unionized scheduling group at another Canadian airline has been able to negotiate.

Recently, Air Canada Flight Operations Crew Scheduling members ratified a new four-year collective agreement with overwhelming support.

Some of the gains included:

• More than 21% in total wage improvements over the life of the agreement, including a 12% increase in the first year
• A significant retroactive lump sum payment recognizing past service. Employees received $144 for every month worked from June 2020 through April 2026, meaning some schedulers received more than $10,000 in retroactive compensation
• A new Pilot Scheduling Competency Premium recognizing the specialized knowledge required to work with Canadian Aviation Regulations, fatigue management rules, pilot qualifications, training requirements, and the operational decisions necessary to ensure flights remain legally and safely staffed. Employees performing these functions now receive additional compensation recognizing the complexity and responsibility associated with the work.
• Improved overtime language ensuring overtime is offered to the senior qualified employee with the lowest accumulated overtime hours, greater transparency regarding overtime opportunities, and compensation where employees are improperly bypassed due to Company error. These changes help create a more consistent and equitable process for distributing overtime opportunities.
• Additional paid time off through new annual time bank allotments of 16 hours for employees with less than 10 years of service and 56 hours for employees with 10 or more years of service. Employees also now reach four weeks of vacation after 10 years instead of 15 years and retain the ability to purchase an additional week of vacation without it being restricted by operational requirements.
• Expanded bereavement leave provisions increasing available leave from 7 days to 10 days, with greater flexibility regarding when leave may be taken following the death of a loved one. The new language recognizes that grief and family responsibilities do not always fit within a fixed timeframe and provides employees with additional support during difficult periods.
• Significant improvements to employee benefits including prescription drug coverage increasing to $1 million, increased mental health coverage, dental coverage increasing from $2,000 to $3,000 annually, increased vision care coverage, substantially improved massage therapy coverage, increased hearing aid coverage, new physiotherapy coverage, and expanded coverage for chiropractors, naturopaths, osteopaths, speech therapists, podiatrists, and other health practitioners. These improvements help reduce out of pocket expenses while improving access to healthcare services for employees and their families.
• Pension improvements including an increase to the pension compensation cap to $88,000, improvements to pension plan contributions, and enhanced retirement security provisions. These changes increase the amount of earnings recognized for pension purposes and improve the long term value of retirement benefits.
• New technological change protections requiring the Company to provide at least 180 days notice before major technological changes are introduced, meet with the Union before implementation, discuss retraining opportunities and job impacts, and provide voluntary separation packages where technological changes directly result in staff reductions. As automation, technology, and artificial intelligence continue to evolve throughout the airline industry, these protections provide employees with greater transparency and safeguards regarding future workplace changes.

The reason I share this is not because Air Canada is WestJet. They are different companies with different operations.

However, many of the issues Air Canada Crew Schedulers bargained improvements on are the exact same issues many WestJet Crew Schedulers have discussed with Unifor over the past several years: wages, workload, overtime, scheduling, benefits, retirement security, workplace respect, and the impact of technology on the future of the profession.

Edmonton Airport Campaign (YEG)

We Need More Workplace Engagement

I want to be candid about where things currently stand in Edmonton.

At the moment, we are simply not seeing enough engagement around card signing and workplace organizing to move the campaign forward.

The reality is that only WestJet employees at YEG can change that.

No organizer, union representative, or supporter from another city can build the level of support needed to move a certification campaign forward. That work has to happen inside the workplace through conversations between coworkers.

Without renewed engagement, membership cards will eventually begin to expire and momentum becomes increasingly difficult to maintain.

If that happens, employees will continue to be reliant on WestJet deciding what compensation, benefits, and workplace improvements it wishes to provide rather than having the ability to negotiate those improvements through collective bargaining.

The gains secured by Unifor members in Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto did not happen by accident. Workers signed cards, built support, certified bargaining units, and negotiated collective agreements.

If Edmonton workers want the same opportunity, now is the time to reconnect with coworkers, discuss workplace concerns, and help build support inside the workplace.

WestJet Contact Centre Campaign

Labour Board Delays Continue

Many employees continue to ask about the status of the Contact Centre campaign.

Unfortunately, we are still waiting for decisions from the Canada Industrial Relations Board on several outstanding matters.

We fully appreciate how frustrating this has become.

Workers have shown tremendous patience throughout a process that has taken significantly longer than anyone anticipated. We understand that many employees feel stuck waiting for decisions while continuing to face day to day workplace pressures.

Unfair Labour Practice Being Prepared

In addition to the outstanding certification matters, Unifor is currently preparing an Unfair Labour Practice complaint relating to issues affecting employees within the Groups Department.

More information will be provided as that process moves forward.

Growing Concerns Regarding Monitoring and Discipline

We also continue to hear concerns from employees regarding increased monitoring, heightened scrutiny, discipline, and what many workers describe as an increasingly aggressive management approach.

Whether an employee supports the union, opposes the union, or remains undecided, every worker deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.

Employees should be able to ask questions, support one another, discuss workplace issues, and exercise their legal rights without feeling intimidated or singled out.

Unifor continues to document concerns brought forward by employees and will continue advocating for fair treatment and respect in the workplace.

Air Canada Airport and Contact Centre Bargaining

Tentative Agreement Reached (stay tuned for details)

Many of you may have also seen that Unifor recently reached a tentative collective agreement covering thousands of Air Canada airport and contact centre employees across Canada.

The details of that agreement are currently being presented to members as part of the ratification process.

As additional information becomes available and voting is completed, we will share highlights of the settlement.

The agreement serves as another reminder that airline workers across Canada continue to improve wages, benefits, job security, and working conditions through collective bargaining.

Stay Connected

As always, if you have workplace concerns, questions, or information you believe Unifor should be aware of, please continue reaching out.

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

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