The strike was primarily triggered by core compensation issues, most notably demands for fair pay for unpaid ground work.
On Sunday, Canada’s second-largest airline, WestJet, was hit by a flight attendants’ strike, triggering hundreds of flight cancellations during one of the busiest travel weekends of the summer.
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More than 4,000 flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) walked off the job after contract negotiations between the union and the airline failed to produce a new collective agreement.
In anticipation of the strike, WestJet began scaling back operations and issuing flight cancellations on Friday. Network-wide cancellations had climbed to 309 flights by Sunday.
“These actions ensure the airline has complete control of its operations and can communicate with guests and crew to minimize people being stranded,” said the airline in a news release.
The strike was primarily triggered by core compensation issues, most notably the union’s demands for fair pay for unpaid ground work, as well as disagreements over wage increases and scheduling terms.
While outside Calgary’s airport, the picket line of #WestJet flight attendants is growing, with chants calling for the airline’s CEO to go. pic.twitter.com/MAJoT0emlt
— Edward Djan (@EdwardDjan1) August 2, 2026
In response to the attitude adopted by the company, other workers in the aeronautical sector expressed their solidarity with the flight attendants who work for WestJet.
“By taking job action to support their demands for a fair collective agreement and demanding true recognition of the value and duties of their work, WestJet flight attendants are defending not just their own interests, but those of airline workers across the country,” CUPE Ontario stated.
“Their job action challenges structures around the real value of a workforce that is already underpaid, as well as assumptions about jobs that are performed mainly by women. WestJet flight attendants are fighting back by demanding their employer compensate their contributions fairly and in their entirety.”
“CUPE members, like the majority of Canadians, condemn the practice of unpaid work. A recent poll shows that more than 8 in 10 Canadians agree that flight attendants should be paid for all work-related duties, including boarding, deplaning, delays and safety checks. And nearly two-thirds of Canadians say they support flight attendants in the dispute, compared with just 11% who support WestJet,” CUPE Ontario pointed out.
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: Xinhua – CUPE
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