More than 4,000 flight attendants at WestJet began their strike at 12:01 a.m. MT on Sunday after the notice period ran out, leading to a cancellation of hundreds of flights and leaving thousands of travellers stranded. In its latest news release, Canada’s second-largest air carrier said it had cancelled 276 flights as of Saturday, 3 p.m. MT, after the Canadian Union of Public Employees issued a 72-hour strike notice on July 30. The airline countered this move by issuing a 72-hour lockout notice. WestJet said it is initiating an “organized take-down of its network” and issuing cancellations, in response to the unions’ notice to strike. “WestJet’s most recent proposal was designed to be a transformative, industry-leading agreement for WestJet’s Cabin Crew, and directly addressed the key issues the union identified as its priorities,” said the airline in a statement Saturday. Meanwhile, the union asserted in the strike notice that the flight attendants have been “clear” about what they are fighting for, since the beginning. “We have been clear about what needs to change, and we have worked hard to reach a fair deal,” said Alia Hussain, president of CUPE 8125 said in the news release posted Thursday. Compensation for work done on the ground led to the work stoppage, with the union saying certain ground duties were unpaid. The airline, however, rebuked the statement. According to WestJet, the current “credit hour” system compensates the flight attendants for flight time, ground duties, delays and other forms of labour into a “single, higher rate of pay” which is then credited across the workday. The pay rate ranges between $28.88 and $53.61 per credit hour. At 80 credit hours a month, which is considered full-time, it adds up to between $2,300 and $4,300, the airline said. The union has also called on the federal government to “respect the collective bargaining process” and allow both parties to reach an agreement without government intervention. With files from The Canadian Press and CTV News’ Kamil Karamali
