A man from Summerside, Prince Edward Island, is currently waiting in Copenhagen after his WestJet flight was cancelled due to a strike by the airline’s flight attendants. Byron Murray, 82, had been in Finland attending a ringette tournament with his family and was scheduled to return to Halifax. However, the day before his return flight, the union representing WestJet’s flight attendants, CUPE 8125, went on strike after contract negotiations broke down.
The strike, which lasted for one day, disrupted WestJet flights, and Murray’s flight was cancelled. While the airline has rebooked flights for Murray’s family members, he is still waiting for his new flight arrangements to be made. WestJet has offered to provide Murray with $250 per day to help cover his expenses while he waits, but he has stated that his accommodation costs are closer to $600-700 per night.
Murray has expressed frustration and uncertainty about his situation, stating that he just wants to get home. “It’s not pleasant. You know, it’s nice to be able to have a little holiday, but it would be better if I didn’t have to worry about how I was going to get home,” he said.
WestJet has apologized for the disruption and is working to rebook flights for affected customers. On August 5, the airline stated that it was operating all its scheduled flights and was working to help customers impacted by the disruption. A spokesperson for the airline said, “We sincerely thank our guests for their patience, flexibility and understanding as we continue our recovery, and we look forward to welcoming them onboard.”
The strike was called over a longstanding complaint by flight attendants regarding unpaid work they are required to perform before and after each flight, as well as a request for increased wages. The union and the airline have reached a tentative agreement, which includes recognition of the unpaid work and increases to compensation. However, the agreement still needs to be voted on by the union’s members, and if it is rejected, bargaining will continue.
CUPE 8125 president Alia Hussain has stated that the tentative agreement “represents meaningful progress” and “evolves the flight credit system by recognizing more of the work cabin crew are required to perform and with general increases to compensation for that work.” The union’s members are expected to vote on the agreement in the coming weeks.
Article and image source: saltwire.com
