Canada’s second-largest airline, WestJet, has been forced to ground its entire aircraft fleet, cancelling hundreds of flights, and leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded as flight attendants stage an historic strike in a dispute over ‘working for free.’
What led to this dispute, how can it be resolved, and what rights do passengers caught up in this mess have? We have all the answers below…
- When did WestJet flight attendants go on strike?
- How much support does the CUPE union have?
- What is the background to the strike?
- What has WestJet offered flight attendants?
- Are flight attendants being unreasonable in their demands?
- Can the Canadian government force flight attendants back to work?
- What rights do passengers have?
When did WestJet flight attendants go on strike?
WestJet flight attendants, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), issued a 72-hour strike notice on July 30 after months of contract negotiations ended in a deadlock over paying crew members for time they spend working on the ground,
The strike notice meant that the earliest that flight attendants could walk out was at midnight on August 2. That’s exactly what happened, with WestJet forced to ground its entire aircraft fleet and cancel hundreds of flights.
In fact, even before the strike started, WestJet was cancelling many flights as it started the process of parking aircraft back at its bases and effectively winding down day-to-day operations in preparation for the walkout.
Even if flight attendants wanted to cross the picket line and go to work, they wouldn’t be allowed, as WestJet had issued its own ‘lockout notice,’ ensuring that flight attendants go without pay for the duration of the strike.
How much support does the CUPE union have?
The local CUPE 8125 union says it has a lot of support for the strike action it has declared, not only from its own members but also from the Canadian public.
More than 4,000 WestJet flight attendants overwhelmingly backed strike action in a ballot that took place in July. Over 99.4% of flight attendants voted to support a walkout on a turnout of 97.3% of CUPE members.
And in a poll of 1,500 Canadian adults commissioned by the union, 64% said they supported flight attendants, while only 11% said they actively supported WestJet. Meanwhile, around 8 in 10 Canadians said they believe flight attendants should be paid for the time they spend working on the ground, while two-thirds said they believe WestJet can afford to pay its flight attendants more.
What is the background to the strike?
The CUPE union approached WestJet in September 2025 to open contract negotiations a few months ahead of the last collective bargaining agreement expiring last December. By April 2026, the two sides were at loggerheads, so federal conciliators stepped in to help broker a deal. Those attempts failed, and the core of the issue is the lack of pay for flight attendants while working on the ground.
Traditionally, WestJet flight attendants have only been paid for the hours spent actually flying. This is measured in ‘block hours,’ which start from the moment the plane pushes back from the gate to the moment that the aircraft arrives at its destination.
The time that flight attendants spend waiting for a delayed plane, boarding passengers, and any subsequent ground delay is not paid. The CUPE union wants to end the block hours rule, ensuring that flight attendants are paid for boarding and lengthy ground delays.
What has WestJet offered flight attendants?
WestJet says that in a last-ditch attempt to avert a strike, it agreed to the union’s “proposed concept for a solution for additional compensation before and after flights, representing a double-digit increase in compensation.”
The airline claims its proposal would have resulted in a 12% average increase in annual wages on top of everything else it was offering flight attendants.
In addition, the airline says its proposal includes:
- A 13% wage increase from October 2026, followed by 2.5% wage increases in 2027, 2028, and 2029.
- Significant increases in per diem payments for time spent away from home on layovers.
- More vacation time, an improved maternity policy, a new flexible working program, and various scheduling and quality of life improvements.
Are flight attendants being unreasonable in their demands?
Until only a few years ago, the block hours pay policy was standard across North American carriers. That, however, started to change in 2022 when Delta Air Lines became the first major airline in the region to introduce ‘boarding pay’ at a rate of 50% of the usual flying pay rate.
In the last few years, a slew of other carriers have followed suit, including American Airlines, United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and several smaller regional carriers.
Last Summer, flight attendants at Air Canada also secured boarding pay for the first time after a messy walkout, which flight attendants continued even after the government attempted to order crew members back to work.
Boarding pay at Air Canada started at an initial 50% of the normal pay rate, rising to 60% in 2026, 65% in 2027, and then topping out at 70% in 2028.
In a statment, CUPE 8125 President, Alia Hussain, commented: “We tried until the very last minute to get a fair deal that recognizes the value of the work cabin crews do. WestJet’s offer did not go far enough.”
Can the Canadian government force flight attendants back to work?
Technically, yes. The Canadian government has the power to impose very stringent conditions on the union and effectively force flight attendants back to work. In the lead-up to this walkout, however, the Mark Carney government chose to keep a distance from the dispute and not intervene.
The reason for this might be that during last year’s Air Canada strike, the CUPE union and flight attendants ignored a legal order to return to work during a strike. Union leaders risked the threat of jail time, although this brought the airline back to the bargaining table where an agreement was swiftly reached.
What rights do passengers have?
Not many. Canada’s passenger rights bill for compensation says that labor disputes are classified as being outside of an airline’s control, so WestJet doesn’t need to offer passengers caught up in the walkout compensation or assistance.
WestJet does, however, still have to offer stranded passengers the option of rebooking or a refund. The airline says it is offering a one-time free flight change or a free cancellation option. It remains unclear, however, how long the dispute will go on for.
