The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has filed an application with the Canada Industrial Relations Board to represent WestJet Encore flight attendants.
A majority of WestJet Encore flight attendants have signed cards supporting unionization with CUPE, the union said. The reasons for flight attendants seeking to unionize include better schedules and better opportunities for career advancement, CUPE said in a news release.
CUPE national president Mark Hancock said the union has “industry-leading experience and expertise in improving the working conditions and the lives of our flight attendant members.”
“We look forward to adding Encore flight attendants to our airline family,” Hancock said.
WestJet president and CEO Ed Sims said in a statement following the application for certification of WestJet Encore flight attendants by CUPE that: “We respect the individual rights of our employees to choose their representation.”
“The caring and passionate nature of all employee groups will ensure we collectively deliver on our strategy of becoming a global network airline while keeping safety at the forefront,” Sims said in the statement issued Friday.
CUPE was certified to represent about 3,000 flight attendants at WestJet’s mainline carrier in July 2018. The union represents 15,000 flight attendants at 10 different airlines across the country.
WestJet and the Air Line Pilots Association reached a tentative agreement on April 5 for the first collective agreement for WestJet Encore pilots. The tentative agreement followed almost a year of negotiations.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019
