WestJet Encore pilots receive $1M grant, plan to picket
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/03/2024 (622 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
WestJet Encore pilots will use a $1-million grant to cover the increased costs required to secure their next contract, union spokesperson Carin Kenny told the Sun on Thursday.
The pilots received a $1-million grant this week from the Air Line Pilots Association’s (ALPA) major contingency fund, as they plan to hold an inaugural informational picket on March 22.
The grant, Kenny said, could be used to pay for rental space for strike centres, picketing events, flight pay loss time, unity building, family awareness and educational efforts for the pilots.
“It will also include the costs associated with our public outreach efforts within the communities we serve on the pressing issues at the bargaining table and the needs of our pilot group,” she said in an email. “This could include outreach in the form of advertising on social media, billboards, radio, newspaper or television.”
Kenny, the union executive council chair, said the funding will go a long way to support the WestJet Encore pilots in their self-help efforts, which could begin as early as April 17 should conciliation fail to result in a ratified agreement between the pilots and WestJet Encore management.
Since September 2013, WestJet Encore has provided a non-stop route between Brandon and Calgary International Airport, utilizing Bombardier Q400 aircraft.
After months of negotiating, Kenny said, management still fails to understand the fundamental fact that without any drastic improvement in career progression, seniority and career recognition, there is little stopping WestJet Encore pilots from seeking better employment opportunities.
“Currently our pilots feel they have no future within the WestJet group of companies. Being a pilot is a highly skilled profession, and as professionals, we have a highly sought-after skill set.”
The pilots, she said, consistently advocate for enhanced working conditions, assured career progression and overdue recognition within the WestJet group.
“We have provided solutions to the company which thus far have fallen on deaf ears, and we need to work together to find ways to fix this.”
According to Kenny, WestJet Encore pilots are among the lowest-paid pilots in Canada who fly for a regional carrier, with wages lagging behind the compensation rates of competitors.
“We remain hopeful the two sides will reach an agreement before we have to hold a strike-authorization vote or file a 72-hour strike notice, but should those situations arise, our pilot group will be fully prepared thanks to the generous contribution of $1 million from ALPA’s MCF,” she said.
The pilots anticipate a demonstration of solidarity as they organize their inaugural informational picket at Calgary International Airport.
Hundreds of ALPA colleagues are expected to join them, Kenny said, collectively expressing their unity to both the management and the public. The demonstration, she added, aims to underscore their shared commitment to making WestJet Encore a prominent leader in Canada’s aviation community.
In early February, the federal government appointed two conciliation officers to help reach a collective agreement between WestJet Encore and its pilots, represented by ALPA.
The union, representing 355 pilots with WestJet’s regional subsidiary, turned to Ottawa for a dispute resolution after contract talks reached a “near standstill” in mid-January.
» aodutola@brandonsun.com
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