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WestJet Encore pilots have voted to approve an agreement in principle with the Calgary-based airline’s executive team, a signal that a forthcoming strike date could be avoided.
The two parties have been locked in negotiations for several months, with the pilots’ April 15 strike date just a week away.
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While contract language still needs to be finalized, representatives for both sides have reached the agreement on “most of the terms and conditions,” the Association of Air Line Pilots wrote in a Monday statement.
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WestJet Encore is the company’s regional branch that serves smaller communities across Canada, primarily with its fleet of smaller turboprop aircraft. Areas most substantially affected by a strike would include Fort McMurray, Prince George, Yellowknife, and other small- to mid-sized Canadian locales.
“After several consecutive days of late-stage negotiating, progress was made on a number of key issues including compensation and scheduling,” Carin Kenny, chair of the WestJet Encore ALPA master executive council.
“We are pleased to announce an agreement in principle that goes a long way toward bringing the WestJet Encore pilots in line with our regional flying counterparts across Canada.”
WestJet said in a statement that it’s pleased to have reached the agreement.
“We are pleased to have reached this milestone, enabling us to move forward with an unwavering focus on providing safe, friendly and reliable air service to our guests for years to come,” wrote Deidrick Pen, president of WestJet and group chief operating officer.
Discussions are still ongoing, ALPA wrote, as the parties work to settle on contract language for a full tentative agreement, which would need to be ratified by the union.
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“It is significant that management now recognizes a contract without the required economic and scheduling improvements would result in a continuation of the current pilot attraction and retention crisis at the airline,” Kenny wrote.
The agreement lands weeks after pilots picketed on March 22 in front of Calgary International Airport. At the time, Kenny said the two parties had reached a handful of tentative agreements but remained far apart on several major issues. Speaking as Encore pilots milled behind, WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech didn’t express concern about a potential strike.
“We are here to come up with a solution that works for both sides, and contracts only go if they work for both sides. They never go if they only work for one side, and that’s why we need to find a middle ground,” he said at the time.
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