WestJet pilots to get 24% raise under new deal

WestJet pilots are set to get a 24% wage increase over four years under a tentative agreement between the company and the union.

A copy of the summary of the tentative agreement obtained by The Canadian Press indicates that the pilots will receive a 15.5% hourly wage increase this year retroactive to January 1 when the agreement is ratified.

It also provides for a cumulative increase of 8.5% in their hourly wages over the remainder of the contract, from 2024 to 2026.

Bernard Lewall, who leads the WestJet contingent of the Air Line Pilots Association, said last Friday after reaching an agreement that the union had achieved its main objectives of improving pay, job security and the work-life balance.

Aviation expert Rick Erickson says the deal marks a new normal for labor negotiations in Canadian aviation and could also make it harder for low-cost airline competitors to retain pilots.

Negotiations were successful last week, with WestJet canceling more than 230 flights in preparation for a strike before an agreement was reached hours before the strike deadline on Friday morning.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on May 26, 2023.