More than 4,000 WestJet flight attendants have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a potential strike over a long-standing dispute surrounding compensation for ground work, which could disrupt flights during the busy August long weekend. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 8125, representing 4,400 WestJet flight attendants, announced that 99.4 percent of members supported strike authorization in a vote conducted after months of stalled negotiations.

The central issue in the talks is ground pay—compensation for work performed while flight attendants are on the ground, such as pre-flight preparations and post-landing duties. Currently, WestJet compensates its attendants only for hours spent in the air, excluding these essential tasks. Union leaders argue that the current pay structure ignores a significant portion of their workload, effectively resulting in unpaid labour.

CUPE president Alia Hussain emphasized her members’ unity and determination, calling on the airline to return to negotiations “with a new focus” on paying for all hours worked. “They voted to strike because they stand behind the bargaining priorities that they have identified, especially pay for all hours of work performed,” she said, urging WestJet to act promptly to avoid travel disruptions.

WestJet Chief Executive Officer Alexis von Hoensbroech acknowledged that a strike authorization vote is a routine step in collective bargaining and stressed the company’s commitment to reaching an agreement with CUPE. He noted that such a vote does not guarantee a strike will take place.

The dispute echoes a similar conflict last year between CUPE and Air Canada flight attendants, who fought for and ultimately secured partial ground pay after a protracted strike that caused widespread flight cancellations. Experts note that this issue has brought previously unrecognized unpaid labour in the airline industry into public view. Larry Savage, a labour studies professor at Brock University, described the Air Canada strike as a turning point that exposed the industry’s “dirty secret” of unpaid work.

CUPE argues that the ongoing disagreement over ground pay reflects a broader push by predominantly female flight attendants to be fairly compensated for work that airlines have historically overlooked. A 2023 union survey found that, on average, flight attendants lose compensation for approximately 35 hours of ground work each month under current pay practices common across North American carriers.

In response to industry concerns, the Canadian government launched an investigation in August 2025 to determine whether flight attendants were being paid below minimum wage due to unpaid ground duties. While both employers and employees acknowledged the need for compensation, they could not agree on how it should be structured. Airlines often compensate ground work with “credit hours,” granting more time off instead of direct pay, a model CUPE has criticized.

The government’s report ultimately recommended that airlines conduct regular compliance audits to ensure minimum wage standards are met. However, this proposal drew sharp criticism from CUPE, which called it insufficient to address the issue of unpaid labour for thousands of Canadian flight attendants.

If the union decides to proceed, flight attendants could legally strike as early as August 2, provided they give WestJet 72 hours’ notice. The development comes as many travellers prepare for one of the busiest periods in the Canadian travel calendar.