Less than a week before the end of conciliation, WestJet pilots sent “a strong message” to WestJet management with an overwhelming vote of support for a strike, should a negotiated settlement not be reached by May 16.

The union representing WestJet pilots, the Air Line Pilots Association, says 95% of its members voted and 93% voted to strike if needed.

Bernard Lewall, who heads the union’s WestJet contingent, says the workers’ issues revolve around job protection, pay, and scheduling at the airline as well as at WestJet Encore and discount subsidiary Swoop.

The union said in a statement: “This vote is a clear sign that WestJet pilots remain committed to securing a North American industry-standard contract. Such a contract will go a long way toward fixing WestJet’s recruitment and retention issues, which are largely due to the airline trying to reduce costs by driving down wages and refusing to address scheduling concerns and other poor working conditions, including job security for our members especially given WestJet’s acquisition of Sunwing.

“WestJet, despite repeatedly touting its growth strategy, is hemorrhaging around 30 pilots per month and is on track to lose up to 20% of its experienced pilot work force within the next year,” it continued, adding, “On average, every 18 hours a WestJet Group pilot turns in their wings for a better career.”

And while ALPA says it’s goal is to avoid a strike, it maintains it is “prepared for any outcome” thanks in large part to a US$2 million grant from the aunion’s war-chest, unanimously authorized by ALPA’s Executive Board.

In the meantime, talks continue through the federal conciliation process, which will end April 24 followed by a three-week break, unless the parties agree to extend negotiations.

In response to the strike mandate, WestJet Group Chief Operating Officer Diederik Pen stated: “A strike authorization vote is a common step by unions in context of the overall labour negotiation process and does not mean a strike will occur. We remain unwaveringly committed to achieving an agreement that is competitive within Canada’s airline industry and ensures we have a long-term sustainable future so that we can continue to operate critical air service for millions of Canadians, while providing jobs for thousands at the WestJet Group.”

WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech told reporters last Wednesday that bookings were not being affected by the threat of a strike and that he expects to resolve the standoff.

“Recruitment is actually running pretty well,” he said in a phone interview from Calgary last Thursday, referring to pilots. “But what we are seeing is high attrition. That’s certainly an impact of the current situation.”

Resignations have been especially frequent at WestJet Encore, the carrier’s regional subsidiary, “which is actually pretty painful, although they’re not subject to the current bargaining,” von Hoensbroech said. “Some of them are being actively recruited by some competitors.”

Von Hoensbroech, who has headed the Calgary-based airline since February 2022, said he expects to get through negotiations without any job action and with “meaningful improvements to their contract.”

Lewall is calling for a “North American standard contract,” but von Hoensbroech suggested that asking for pay on par with US counterparts is far-fetched.

“Pilots dream about US wages. The union keeps on repeating that all they want is a standard North American contract,” the CEO said. “But the US is a totally different market on the aviation side,” he continued. “If you want the wages of another country, then you move to this other country and then live with everything it comes with.”

WestJet pilots first unionized in May 2017, signalling a major shift in culture at the famously non-union airline. Since then, other employee groups at the company have also unionized, including flight attendants and certain airport employees.

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