WestJet and its Encore pilots are back to square one after the pilots’ union rejected a tentative deal with the company.
The Air Line Pilots Association, the certified union representing WestJet Encore pilots, said its membership did not ratify the tentative agreement, reached on 08 APR.
WestJet said the results of the ratification vote do not impact operations.
"We are disappointed to learn that our WestJet Encore pilots have rejected an agreement that is distinctly competitive within Canada's airline industry and solutioned their unique concerns," said Diederik Pen, President of WestJet Airlines and Group Chief Operating Officer. "Our tentative agreement represented a robust negotiation process that got us to our final offer, and while we will meet with ALPA to determine next steps, we will hold firm on what is reasonable to ensure we can continue providing meaningful employment and affordable air travel to Canadians."
“The pilots were underwhelmed by the WestJet Group’s attempts at using compensation to gloss over many of the core structural issues of the operation,” the union said in a statement.
Of the 92% of eligible pilots who cast ballots, 53% voted against the agreement, ALPA said.
“This result reiterates that there is a deep-seated feeling that management fails to recognize the pilots’ needs beyond matters tied to compensation," the union stated.
“Despite contract improvements to compensation and scheduling, our pilots held strong in their belief that management isn’t doing enough to address the ongoing pilot attraction and retention issues and low morale that remain at our airline,” said Capt. Carin Kenny, chair of the WestJet Encore ALPA Master Executive Council. “In the wake of this vote, we are hopeful management finally understands that more must done to address the issues that clearly remain for our pilots.
“We will now regroup and prepare for the next steps over the coming days to establish protocols for addressing our pilot group priorities going forward."
