Members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 8125, flight attendants at WestJet, were on the picket line in Saskatoon on Sunday, fighting for a fair deal to end unpaid work.
“These members, who work as flight attendants for WestJet Mainline, have been without a collective agreement for over 200 days,” said Kent Peterson, President of CUPE Saskatchewan, while on the picket line in Saskatoon. “Their bargaining team has been fighting hard for a long time, but WestJet doesn’t seem to get it,” he added.
CUPE Local 8125 represents the dedicated Cabin Crew from WestJet and WestJet Encore with more than 4,700 members from across Canada. While Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker International Airport is not a base location for WestJet, a number of flight attendants live in and around the city prompting the Local to setup a picket line.
“Every worker should be paid for every second they are at work, and unfortunately that is just not he case for WestJet’s cabin crew,” said Peterson, “the 31,000 CUPE members I represent are firmly behind the members who are on the picket line fighting for respect, a fair deal, and an end to unpaid work,” he added.