At the recent company meetings, WestJet’s own leadership laid it out. Here’s what Samantha Taylor, WestJet Group Executive Vice-President and Chief Experience Officer, said:

• VSOs were offered in “a very small intake” and are “not tied to anything else”, just “changing market dynamics.”

• El Salvador staff are used to “offset and take some support off our local Contact Centre agents.”

• WestJet must ensure El Salvador operations “meet the hours that we have worked with them on an annual basis.”

Now think about what that means for you:

1. “Very small intake” & “not tied to anything else.” That’s management dodging the truth. Fewer Canadian jobs is still fewer Canadian jobs and you are the ones losing out.

2. “Offset and take some support off.” That’s outsourcing. Every call and every hour shifted offshore is work you could be doing here.

3. “Meet the hours.” This means WestJet signed contracts that guarantee a set number of hours offshore. Those are hours you will never see, locked away in another country while you face less security at home.

Management wants you to believe these things aren’t connected, but you know the reality: VSOs plus guaranteed offshore hours equals fewer opportunities for you.

Word on the Street: The LIFT Program

It isn’t just about outsourcing. There’s growing pressure inside the walls too. Word on the street is that SSC just received an email about what happens if you don’t hit the marks to move up to Level 2 in the LIFT program:

• Phase 3 means no choice — you’ll be forced back to campus.

• Every single call will be listened to and critiqued in real time.

• They won’t put this in writing, only whisper the percentages and consequences.

In other words, “coaching” becomes sitting beside you with a headset, critiquing everything you do on the spot. That’s not support — that’s surveillance.

Here’s what you need to know: at Air Canada and Aeroplan, Unifor negotiated contract language that says monitoring can only be used for coaching, never for discipline. And KPIs cannot be used as a basis for discipline either. That protection exists because workers there have a collective agreement. Without one, WestJet can turn “coaching” into punishment anytime they want.

And here’s the bottom line:

• Without a union, WestJet decides your future.

• With a union, you bargain protections. VSOs are negotiated, fair, and transparent. Outsourcing and programs like LIFT can’t just be dropped on you without your say.

In solidarity,

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

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