WestJet and Swoop News

[Turbofan]

It leaves out one important factor.  This was first contract arbitration which has different rules.  On a first contract either side can request arbitration.  This doesn’t apply to subsequent negotiations.  But the nuance is important because first contracts always have a higher than normal risk of imposed arbitration.  It’s right in the legislation.  Nothing new needs to be passed to make it happen.  Unlike in a subsequent negotiation back to work legislation would need to be tabled and passed.

It implies the WJ mechanics defied the government when in fact the CIRB repeatedly stated arbitration did not remove the right to strike.  I don’t think the WJ mechanics defied anyone.  They simply exercised their rights.  Seems to me government and WJ management made some poor assumptions surrounding first contract arbitration.  Assumptions that would have been cleared up if they had read the CIRB ruling.

When governments take away the right to strike, the employer walks from the table.  It’s why the right to strike is so important.  Without it, it is not a negotiation. The company just stone walls until intervention.  
 

In this case WJ management assumed the right to strike was removed.  As such they walked away from the table.

If there had been no government intervention at all I suspect this strike never would have happened.

 

[Malcolm]

They may indeed have exercised their rights but the end result is a mounting dissatisfaction with WestJet by the SLF that buy the tickets and generate the cash to pay all workers. I guess only time will tell .  

[Turbofan]

What I watched happen was an accidental strike because the employer believed the government had tilted the table in their favour when they actually hadn't.

They felt they didn't need to negotiate 

[Maverick]

21 hours ago, Malcolm said:

They may indeed have exercised their rights but the end result is a mounting dissatisfaction with WestJet by the SLF that buy the tickets and generate the cash to pay all workers. I guess only time will tell .  

This has been coming for a long time. Pre-covid, pre-Onex. Management had become completely inflexible and in many, many instances petty, vindictive and absolutely the complete opposite of the WestJet I started with and fiercely defended. This reflects extremely poorly on the executive team and I hope uncle Jerry and the Onex board deal with what they've done. Can the public trust be rebuilt? Yes, with that I have no doubt but they will have to play much nicer with the employees now. I am extremely proud of what AMFA has achieved and I am equally proud that we never went into the gutter like the company did. A solid win for organized labour in Canada.

Edited July 8 by Maverick
Grammar

[Newman]

On 6/28/2024 at 2:07 PM, Leeroy said:

Those days were great, but Clive was part of the slide to our current state. He was happy when 40% of our income was in the company stock, but when we asked for some money we were told to give our head a shake.

Indeed.  Clive liked to play the good guy.  He was always up for having someone in his orbit create some chaos just so he could swoop in and be the good guy that fixed things.  In the early days, it was a savvy strategy to get peoples emotional buy in to him and the company (here's a leader who listens and does the right thing), but after a while it became pretty transparent as to what was really happening.

As WestJet evolved and tried to play with the big carriers, I used to chuckle when they'd make unpopular policy changes.  People would lament how Clive would never let this happen when he ran the airline and I'd have to remind them that Clive was Chair of the Board and he had been driving these changes. 

[Newman]

On 7/6/2024 at 10:57 PM, MD2 said:

It’s not uncommon to hear the union reps say they are going to “burn the place down” during their negotiation posturing. Much to the chagrin of other employee groups, not to mention customers, if they happen to be successful in their pursuit, they usually end up at the said union’s HQ, while other employees end up in unemployment offices and customers left holding the bag!
 

It is however surprising to see management leaving the company so vulnerable to surprise attack. The battle may be won for the mechanics, but the war will be lost in the long term due to major losses and brand damage which will likely be a turning point.

In fairness, management has been damaging the brand for years.  I don't know anyone personally who has had so much as an average experience on a WestJet flight in the last few years.  My last 4 flights have all been debacles. 

It's been so bad that a few months back (pre strike) I cancelled the WestJet RBC Master card I got over a decade ago as an employee.  Switched everything over to Aeroplan.  My WestJet bank has $1500 left in it and I'm looking for somewhere to donate it.  I have no interest in giving them another chance.

For those of us who worked there in the past and worked so hard to uphold a standard, it's hard to watch how badly the company is being run.

The strike and the fallout of how WestJet handled things doesn't help, but the wheels were getting pretty loose well before this pothole.

[Malcolm]

sorry to hear about your experiences with Westjet. My wife is blind and travels without an attendant on westjet short haul flights 3 or  4 times a year and has yet to have a bad experience. . Check in, boarding, in flight, deplaning and retrieving her checked bag.

We always have her at the airport 2 hours before departure. She checks a bag and has a carry on

By the by, I am not affiliated with Westjet in any possible way.

[Falken]

Newman - PM me and I will tell you how to send me your donation! 

[Malcolm]

No surprise 

CALGARY, AB, July 12, 2024 /CNW/ - Today, the first collective bargaining agreement between WestJet and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), the certified union representing WestJet Aircraft Maintenance Engineers and other Technical Operations employees was ratified.

"Reaching this milestone is good news for our organization and our guests, solidifying a five-year agreement that provides stability to our business and reflects the instrumental value and contributions of our Aircraft Maintenance Engineers and other Technical Operations employees," said Diederik Pen, President of WestJet Airlines and Group Chief Operating Officer. "While we are grateful to have achieved resolution with a clear path forward together as a unified team, we recognize that the unprecedented impact of the disruption over July long weekend is still concerning for our guests, the communities we serve and our people."

 

 

 

 

[moeman]

WestJet saying they're glad it's done but still **bleep** off at them in the same news release.

[Maverick]

3 hours ago, moeman said:

WestJet saying they're glad it's done but still **bleep** off at them in the same news release.

Pretty much but WestJet chose the path. The tone of that e-mail is not helpful at all and kind of highlights the pettiness and basic disrespect they've shown AMFA. I personally don't give two sh!ts what they think to be honest and I know I'm not alone.

[MD2]

This email seems to speak to the customers, what do you call them, guests?! To appeal to them and appease them to come back. Not everything is about labour groups!

It seems to be a matter of misunderstood and mismanaged expectations, especially by the employees who claim to have been working at WestJet for decades, yet clearly did not understand its culture and pay structure. It was never a “lavish” organization, rather thrifty that used creative measures such as stock options and purchase plans, profit share, performance award, etc. to add employee buy-in and keep them engaged and invested in the company. Those that have not understood this over the years, perhaps should give their heads a shake!!

With its recent sale, termination of stock options and purchase plans, grand plans that did not happen, and poor communications, the dynamics changed and greed also crept in. The mechanics’ strike was simply avoidable as there were more negotiation dates, but it seemed like the union “really wanted to show them”! Touted as a win for labour groups by the union, it may be more akin to winning the battle and losing the war. It remains to be seen the damage it caused the brand and the influence of the mechanics within the group.  With so many unions vying for more influence and bigger pay, the company simply cannot withstand the onslaught and something will have to change. Likely all things will become more structured, more contested and more prolonged.

[Turbofan]

2 hours ago, MD2 said:

The mechanics’ strike was simply avoidable as there were more negotiation dates,….

Pretty quick to start rewriting history isn’t it?  The whole point of the strike was to force WJ back to the negotiating table.

The second WJ management thought it had government intervention and arbitration locked up they stopped all negotiations.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/westjet-strike-continues-union-president-1.7251118

During a news conference at WestJet headquarters in Calgary on Saturday morning, both Pen and the airline's chief executive officer, Alexis von Hoensbroech, repeatedly said they were outraged and devastated by the strike, with von Hoensbroech calling it "totally absurd." 

"The reason why you actually do a strike is because you may need to exercise pressure on the bargaining table. If there is no bargaining table, it makes no sense," he said.

There were no more negotiations dates.  Only arbitration dates of an unknown timeframe.

The only thing that restarted negotiations was the strike.

"All we want to do is to go back to the table," said Oestreich. "The strike will be in effect until we get an agreement."

However I also believe this strike shouldn’t have happened. The fact it happened was absurd. As soon as Government intervention tips the table in the companies favour the company will walk away from negotiations. Exactly what happened here.  

Had the government sat on its hands there would have likely been a deal prior to the deadline.

https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/seamus-oregan-stepping-down-from-cabinet

OTTAWA — Minister of Labour and Seniors Seamus O’Regan says he is stepping down from cabinet on Friday, prompting an imminent one-person cabinet shuffle in the Trudeau government.

Not that I place the blame for this absurd strike all at the feet of the labour minister.  I’m pretty certain Mr Penn and Hoensbroech can read.  The CIRB ruling was very clear.

Let’s see if anyone else takes a fall.

The only party that looked like they knew what was going on was the AMFA.  They appear to have embarrassed both WJ management and the Labour Minister.

 

 

[conehead]

3 hours ago, Turbofan said:

 

Let’s see if anyone else takes a fall.

 

 

 

Well, the Labour Minister is now stepping down...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/oregan-leaving-cabinet-1.7267551 

Edited July 19 by conehead

[Malcolm]

35 minutes ago, conehead said:

Well, the Labour Minister is now stepping down...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/oregan-leaving-cabinet-1.7267551 

I think that might be more about leaving before Trudeau steps down.

[Malcolm]

CALGARY — WestJet and Telus Corp. are partnering up to provide free internet service aboard flights for members of the airline's loyalty program starting this December.

The companies say Wi-Fi connectivity for WestJet Rewards members will be delivered through Starlink, which provides internet service through its low-earth orbit satellites.

Ad

 

WestJet says Starlink can deliver the bandwidth and speeds necessary for every passenger on board its aircraft to livestream videos or online game from their devices as if they were at home.

Jason Fritch, vice-president of Starlink enterprise sales for the satellite carrier's owner SpaceX, says the company has commitments to provide service to more than 1,000 aircraft worldwide.

All of WestJet's modern narrow-body fleet will be equipped for the free Wi-Fi service by the end of 2025, with wide-body aircraft to follow by the end of 2026.

WestJet and Telus say the announcement marks the beginning of a long-term partnership with more announcements to come.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:T)

The Canadian Press

[Maverick]

On 7/18/2024 at 12:51 PM, MD2 said:

This email seems to speak to the customers, what do you call them, guests?! To appeal to them and appease them to come back. Not everything is about labour groups!

It seems to be a matter of misunderstood and mismanaged expectations, especially by the employees who claim to have been working at WestJet for decades, yet clearly did not understand its culture and pay structure. It was never a “lavish” organization, rather thrifty that used creative measures such as stock options and purchase plans, profit share, performance award, etc. to add employee buy-in and keep them engaged and invested in the company. Those that have not understood this over the years, perhaps should give their heads a shake!!

With its recent sale, termination of stock options and purchase plans, grand plans that did not happen, and poor communications, the dynamics changed and greed also crept in. The mechanics’ strike was simply avoidable as there were more negotiation dates, but it seemed like the union “really wanted to show them”! Touted as a win for labour groups by the union, it may be more akin to winning the battle and losing the war. It remains to be seen the damage it caused the brand and the influence of the mechanics within the group.  With so many unions vying for more influence and bigger pay, the company simply cannot withstand the onslaught and something will have to change. Likely all things will become more structured, more contested and more prolonged.

I can tell you with authority that this absolutely was not the case. I was not in the room but I was as close to it as was possible. The exact opposite is what occurred. They thought they had the transport minister in the bag, which in reality as it turns out they did, but their own lawyers misunderstood where the CIRB stood in the whole situation. As for the first part of your post you were not there in the early days or ever, so you really have no right to tell people like me (26 years at WJ) how we had it in the early days. This company was created by good people with good intentions and it worked very well for decades. Was it perfect? Not at all but the company of today is a mere shadow of what it was. Personally I believe that the unionization of the AME's with AMFA, even more so than the pilots with ALPA will drive the airline back to respectability and by extension respect for its employees.

[Malcolm]

Is Westjet still operating their 2 737 dedicated cargo aircraft?  

[Leeroy]

Yes. Primarily a wet lease to Cargo Jet. The other two are parked. 

[Malcolm]

47 minutes ago, Leeroy said:

Yes. Primarily a wet lease to Cargo Jet. The other two are parked. 

Thanks for the info. Too bad.  

[Malcolm]

Now I understand why a poster on facebook was lamenting the end of Westjet Cargo

WestJet halves cargo fleet due to 'market conditions' after pandemic-fuelled foray into shipping

WestJet has halved its small fleet of cargo plans due to “market conditions,” the latest chapter in the Calgary-based airline’s brief foray into the cargo space.

WestJet has halved its small fleet of cargo plans due to “market conditions,” the latest chapter in the Calgary-based airline’s brief foray into the cargo space.

The decision follows cutbacks by several airlines in the freighter business, with the easing of a pandemic-fuelled frenzy for air cargo driven at the time by heightened demand for goods and supply chain bottlenecks.

In early 2024, WestJet decided to trim its four-aircraft cargo fleet to two “due to market conditions,” it said in a statement to Postmedia. No further cutbacks are planned.

WestJet initiated its entry into cargo transportation in 2022, converting four passenger jets into what the airline called Boeing Converted Freighters (BCFs). It is also continuing to transport cargo in the bellies of its passenger aircraft.

WestJet’s pivot into all-cargo operations was spurred by the remarkable downturn in passenger demand during the COVID-19 pandemic as travel ground to a halt — a period that also featured surging demand for goods and subsequent supply bottlenecks in ocean freight delivery. Early on, as airlines clued into the demand for cargo, some stacked boxed onto seats to fit goods into their planes.

“It was a worldwide phenomenon,” Barry Prentice, head of the University of Manitoba’s transport institute, said of the speed at which airlines got into the cargo business.

 

Related video: Business Matters: Canadian airlines reducing flights to and from smaller cities (Global News)

 

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In April 2022, WestJet announced it had hired longtime cargo airline executive Kirsten de Bruijn to head up the airline’s cargo division. Her previous experience included senior roles with Qatar Airways’ and Emirates Sky Cargo’s cargo divisions.

Pivot to cargo might have been too little, too late: expert

The shift into cargo was swift, according to a recent paper co-authored by Prentice and colleagues at the University of Manitoba, shown in a timeline that includes Air Canada’s decision in November 2020 to convert several of its planes over to cargo.

WestJet’s 2022 call to move into the space was perhaps too little, too late, Prentice said, partly because the pandemic had officially ended before it was able to clear the regulatory requirements to begin cargo operations. By May 2023, Air Canada’s cargo sales had sunk 40 per cent, FedEx opted to shut down 29 aircraft and Cargojet — one of Canada’s eminent air cargo companies — paused several conversions and sold off new freighters amid shrinking demand for air cargo.

 

But just as the shift into cargo was swift, the rebound of passenger air travel was equally quick, Prentice’s paper says, and profits in the air cargo sector “began to erode.”

“It was pretty inevitable that when the COVID problem ended, it was like musical chairs — people were standing around when the music stopped. That seems to be what happened, certainly for WetJet.”

Air Canada, in its recent second-quarter earnings call, said two of its cargo aircraft have been grounded due to low demand.

In its statement to Postmedia, WestJet said the past two months “have been the best in WestJet Cargo’s history, with our strongest performance being on routes currently served by the cargo bellies in our passenger fleet.” The airline did not say which metrics it used to measure its success and did not immediately respond to follow-up questions.

Air cargo is known for its boom-bust cycles and for being an expensive business — particularly when freight rates are low, said John Gradek, aviation expert and lecturer at McGill University. But even while WestJet arrived at a difficult time, the Calgary airline wasn’t a lone actor in the rush to get into the business.

 

“I think they were really looking at this being a trend that would have long legs, and it just wasn’t there,” Gradek said.

He and Prentice both said it’s unlikely WestJet will consider reviving its cargo fleet should demand for the service surge again.

Prentice said he has doubts about the long-term viability of air cargo, particularly given the high costs associated with the business — even despite a looming railway strike in Canada.

“In North America, trucking works very well … there’s competitors to air cargo that are quite acceptable competitors,” he said. “You start crossing oceans, your choices are marine or air; one’s really cheap and slow and the other is really fast and really expensive.”

mscace@postmedia.com

[Malcolm]

Four of 17 planes fly again after hail damage

 

• Calgary Herald
• 30 Aug 2024
• MATT SCACE mscace@postmedia.com

GAVIN YOUNG Thirteen of 17 Westjet aircraft damaged in a hailstorm Aug. 5 are still being repaired at the company's hangers at Calgary International Airport. The storm has resulted in hundreds of flight cancellations.

Four Westjet planes have returned to the skies after spending nearly a month out of commission due to hail damage — though 13 planes are still under repair.

The Calgary-based airline confirmed the figure to Postmedia on Thursday amid efforts to bring its full fleet back to service. The Aug. 5 hailstorm that hit swaths of north Calgary initially forced Westjet to remove 10 per cent of its planes from service, resulting in hundreds of cancellations in the days immediately following the storm.

To date, Westjet has cancelled 676 flights due to the hailstorm, it said. The airline said the damage is still forcing it to conduct proactive cancellations.

“Westjet will continue issuing proactive cancellations for the foreseeable future as our dedicated tech ops teams continue to work diligently to return the remaining 13 damaged aircraft to service,” Westjet public relations co-ordinator Julia Brunet said by email.

Westjet had initially said 16 aircraft were grounded following the Aug. 5 hailstorm. In its update Thursday, the airline said 17 aircraft in total were damaged in the storm.

“I can confirm that upon further inspection, we identified an additional aircraft that required minimal repairs, it is one of the aircraft that has already been returned to service, however, this did change the total number to 17,” Brunet wrote in a followup email.

The update comes just a day after Calgary International Airport said it will take at least 18 months to repair the damage incurred by the same hailstorm, which shut down the airport's B concourse after golf-ball-sized hail punctured the airport's roof and sent heavy rainwater pouring into the terminal. It will remain closed until the restoration is complete.

The airline has been able to manage the situation with “no impact to our guests and passengers, as we have been able to accommodate all flights through other parts of the terminal,” airport CEO Chris Dinsdale said Wednesday.

Neither Westjet nor the Calgary Airport Authority have said how much repairs will cost.

The hailstorm was the third time this year Westjet has experienced major disruptions resulting in mass cancellations — two of which have been weather related.

In January, Westjet was forced to cancel several hundred flights amid a multi-day cold snap gripping Alberta, freezing de-icing fluid and grounding dozens of planes.

More than a thousand flights were later cancelled around Canada Day long weekend as Westjet's mechanics went on strike after months of negotiations.

Article Name:Four of 17 planes fly again after hail damage

Publication:Calgary Herald

Section:CITY+REGION

Author:MATT SCACE mscace@postmedia.com

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