WestJet’s flight attendants have approved a new collective agreement with the airline, with a resounding 90.2% vote in favor of the deal. Alia Hussain, president of CUPE 8125, expressed satisfaction with the outcome, stating that the members’ strong support reflects the significant progress achieved during negotiations.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees revealed that the agreement entails an over 18% salary increase spread over three years, along with new compensation for ground-related work. The contract will see employees receiving a 13% pay raise in October, followed by 2.75% in January and a 2.5% increase at the beginning of 2028.
The airline has yet to provide a comment on the matter. Talks had been ongoing since January, with disagreements between WestJet and the CUPE WestJet Component primarily over wage raises and the cabin crews’ assertion of unpaid ground duties.
The union had persistently raised concerns about the lack of compensation for work done outside of flight hours. In contrast, WestJet contended that all responsibilities were adequately remunerated through a “credit hour” system rather than an hourly wage.
The newly agreed-upon three-year contract is effective from January 1, 2026, until December 31, 2028. The negotiations were challenging, particularly regarding boarding payment, culminating in a brief strike involving around 4,400 cabin crew members earlier in the month.
Following the resolution, WestJet’s flight operations gradually normalized after experiencing over 900 flight cancellations during the peak summer travel season. The aviation sector has faced disruptions due to labor actions in recent years, including strikes by Air Canada flight attendants and WestJet mechanics, temporarily halting operations at the country’s leading airlines.
WestJet, which operates more than 600 daily flights and serves over 70,000 passengers on certain days, has now successfully navigated the collective agreement process with its flight attendants.