WestJet, Swoop pilots ratify new agreement with pay increases, other improvements

WestJet and Swoop pilots have ratified a brand new collective settlement after a bargaining course of that noticed the specter of a strike snarl many Canadians’ lengthy weekend plans final month.

The Air Line Pilots Association says the four-year contract contains industry-leading pay will increase, job safety protections, and main scheduling and high quality of life enhancements.

The affiliation says 87 per cent of the pilots who voted backed the settlement.

The airline and its pilots reached a last-minute deal earlier this 12 months, narrowly averting a strike forward of the May lengthy weekend.

However, WestJet and Swoop flights had already been grounded in anticipation of the attainable work stoppage, which was averted.

The pilots’ affiliation had mentioned the contract points revolved round pay, job safety and scheduling, with pilots incomes roughly half of what a few of their U.S. counterparts make.

The new contract goes into impact July 1, with retroactive pay to Jan. 1. It expires on the finish of 2026.

“Having this agreement in place will go a long way to solve many of the airline’s labour issues, and bring more stability to our operations,” Bernard Lewall, who heads the Air Line Pilots Association’s WestJet contingent, mentioned in a news launch.

This report by The Canadian Press was first printed June 9, 2023.