Global Courant 2023-05-26 22:15:00
WestJet pilots are about to receive a 24 percent pay raise over four years, under an agreement in principle between the company and the union.
A copy of the preliminary summary of the agreement obtained by The Canadian Press states that pilots will receive a 15.5 percent hourly wage increase this year retroactive to January 1 upon ratification of the deal.
It also includes a cumulative 8.5 percent increase in their hourly wages over the remainder of the contract, from 2024 through 2026.
Bernard Lewall, who heads the Air Line Pilots Association’s WestJet contingent, said last Friday after reaching an agreement that the union has fulfilled its key goals of better pay, job security and a good work-life balance. reaches.
Aviation expert Rick Erickson says the deal marks a new standard for labor negotiations in Canadian aviation, and could also make it more difficult for low-cost airline competitors to retain pilots.
Negotiations boiled over last week, with WestJet canceling more than 230 flights in preparation for work actions before reaching a deal hours before the strike deadline Friday morning.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on May 26, 2023.
