WestJet strike threat looms as union demands pay for all hours worked

WestJet flight attendants are poised to strike as early as August 2, with nearly 4,400 union members voting overwhelmingly in favor of job action. The union, CUPE Local 8125, has identified unpaid work as the central issue driving the potential strike, which could disrupt travel during the busy August long weekend.

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Essential duties before boarding, during delays, emergency evacuations, and after arrival are not fully compensated. Flight attendants are responsible for safety from the moment they report to work, and not just when the aircraft moves. Some flight attendants are making below minimum wage when you factor in their unpaid hours, in some cases up to 35 unpaid hours every month.

Union representatives state that essential duties performed before boarding, during delays, and after arrival are not adequately compensated. They argue that some flight attendants earn below minimum wage when unpaid hours are factored in, with some accumulating up to 35 unpaid hours monthly. The union points to an "archaic flight credit system" as the reason for this unpaid labor, claiming members work roughly 35 free hours each month.

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I think this is WestJet’s effort to say, ‘OK, we’re reaching out. We still think there’s a chance of a deal, but in the meantime, if you want to change your flight, this is what we’re going to offer you.

WestJet, however, defends its "credit hour system" as the industry standard across North America. The airline explains that this model combines flight time, ground duties, and delays into a single, higher rate of pay, rather than paying a lower hourly wage for every hour on duty. This system, WestJet asserts, provides wages based on more than just duty time worked, with credit hours calculated and paid as outli.

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Rather than paying a lower hourly wage for every hour on duty, the credit hour system combines flight time, ground duties, delays, and other required work into a single, higher rate of pay. That rate is then ‘credited’ across the full duty day.