WestJet Encore pilots ratify agreement, avoiding strike

CALGARY — WestJet Encore pilots have greenlit a deal with their employer, averting a strike at the regional airline.

The Airline Pilots Association says its members have ratified a five-year contract that offers higher wages, more flexible schedules and “a better work-life balance.”

The union says about 79 percent of pilots who voted approved the collective agreement, with the vast majority of the carrier’s more than 350 pilots participating in the vote.

Carin Kenny, who heads the union’s WestJet Encore contingent, says the deal establishes “a level of career progression” towards flying larger aircraft at the carrier’s main operation – crucial to attracting new pilots and keeping those already on board.

The contract takes effect immediately, with retroactive payment until January 1st.

This week’s vote cemented a tentative deal on May 30, keeping away from the turmoil caused by 11th-hour contracts like those struck last year between WestJet and mainline pilots, as well as fliers at its Swoop subsidiary, now closed.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 14, 2024.

The Canadian Press