The union that represents pilots at WestJet says it is asking for federal assistance after months of failing to reach a contract agreement with the airline. The official request begins a process that could result in a strike, or lockout, if the impasse is not resolved.

The WestJet Master Executive Council, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) filed the request late last week for conciliation assistance with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

The federal Minister of Labour now has 15 days to appoint a conciliation officer. Once appointed, the officer would work with the parties for 60 days to reach an agreement.

If both parties remain at an impasse following this period, a 21-day cooling-off period begins before the parties can consider other alternatives, including a strike or lockout.

ALPA, which represents approximately 1,800 pilots at WestJet and its low-cost subsidiary Swoop, says it has been negotiating unsuccessfully with Calgary-based WestJet since September.

The pilots’ first union contract, which expired at the end of 2022, was the result of an arbitrated settlement reached in 2018. That settlement averted a threatened pilots’ strike, as WestJet pilots had voted in favour of job action after contract talks fell apart.

Currently at issue for ALPA are wages and scheduling concerns as well as the union’s desire to see all pilots that fly WestJet planes receive “equal pay for equal work,” chair of the union’s WestJet Pilots Association Bernie Lewall, said earlier last week.

Currently, pilots who fly for the Swoop banner are paid less than pilots who fly for mainline WestJet. With WestJet’s proposed acquisition of leisure carrier Sunwing awaiting regulatory approval, Lewall said the union is concerned about the creation of yet another class of pilots with a different pay scale.

“We could get into a position where we potentially could have three airlines under the WestJet group of companies, all flying the same aircraft type for different wages and working conditions,” he said, adding, “We just see that as an attempt by management to work around the current WestJet pilots’ contract.”

WestJet spokeswoman Denise Kenny had responded to the comments in an emailed statement that airline is committed to working with ALPA through the steps of the bargaining process to reach an agreement.