There will be no strike at WestJet this week now that the airline has reached a tentative labor agreement with the union representing hundreds of workers at Calgary and Vancouver airports.
Both the airline and Unifor Local 531 announced the deal Sunday evening, days before nearly 800 crew and customer service staff were set to walk off the job.
Unifor announced last week that workers had voted 98% in favor of a strike as early as Wednesday if no deal could be reached.
Neither side disclosed the specific terms of the tentative agreement, which is still subject to ratification.
The union issued a statement saying the deal “brings long-awaited wage increases and improvements to working conditions.”
The agreement, billed as the first between the two sides, will be presented to union members later this week.
Unifor has said wages were a key issue, with current wages starting at $15.55 an hour and going up to $23.87 an hour after seven years.
Spokesman Scott Doherty said last week that the pay scale has not increased in more than five years, making WestJet’s salaries the lowest in the Canadian aviation industry as inflation rises.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 24, 2022.