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TORONTO— Unifor opened collective bargaining today with WestJet, representing over 1,800 airport workers across three of Canada's biggest airports.
“Unifor members working at WestJet keep the company’s passengers and operations moving every day,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
“They deserve a collective agreement that recognizes the value of their work and delivers meaningful improvements to their working lives. We are entering these negotiations ready to bargain and reach a fair agreement with WestJet.”
Unifor Local 531 represents over 1,800 WestJet airport workers providing customer services, priority services, baggage services, ramp services, as well as airport operation coordinators at Toronto Pearson International Airport, Calgary International Airport, and Vancouver International Airport.
This will be the second collective agreement negotiated between Unifor and WestJet for these workers, following the ratification of their first agreement in 2022 after unionization.
In this round of bargaining, the union is seeking improvements to wages, scheduling, and working conditions, particularly regarding safety issues like the prevalence of agents working alone.
Unifor has long called for systemic improvements in Canada’s aviation sector through its Air Transportation Workers’ Charter of Rights, which urges governments, airlines, and airport authorities to address chronic understaffing, contracting out, unsafe workloads, and inadequate training across the industry.
“WestJet workers have made their priorities clear, and our bargaining committee going to stand behind them, determined to fight for issues that matter most,” said Unifor Local 531 President Erica Kelly.
This week, 750 WestJet call centre workers in Calgary will be voting on whether to join Unifor. They have publicly expressed concerns of their jobs being outsourced to TELUS Digital vendors in El Salvador, reduced full-time hours, forced part-time transitions, and strict monitoring programs.
Unifor and WestJet are scheduled to meet in Toronto on Sept. 14 and 15, followed by additional bargaining dates from Sept. 23 to 25. Further dates are scheduled through the remainder of the year. The current collective agreement for WestJet expires Dec. 31, 2026. The union has not yet held a strike vote.
