Pilots who work for privately held WestJet Airlines have secured a 24% pay increase over four years under a new labour agreement.
The union representing the pilots says its members will receive a 15.5% hourly pay raise this year retroactive to January 1 once the labour pact is ratified in a vote.
Additionally, the pilots will receive a cumulative 8.5% pay increase to their hourly wages over the remainder of the contract that runs from 2024 through 2026.
Collective bargaining between the company and union went down to the wire before a deal was reached hours ahead of a May 19 strike deadline.
The deal for WestJet’s pilots sets the tone for the entire aviation industry, with the Air Canada Pilots Association facing a deadline today (May 29) on whether to remain with their 10-year collective agreement signed in 2014 or opt to start labour negotiations this year.
The WestJet agreement also integrates discount brand Swoop’s flight operations into WestJet, effectively putting the two pilot groups on a level pay scale and allowing them to move between both carriers.
The WestJet pilot’s union is scheduled to vote on the new collective agreement between May 30 and June 9.
Calgary-based WestJet is privately owned, and its stock is not traded on a public exchange.
