On June 28, history was made by aircraft maintenance engineers (AMEs).  In spite of being the most recent employee group to unionize, they have become the first ever workers to strike in WestJet’s 28-year history. 

The strike lasted only two days, but it has produced a second agreement providing for a wage increase of 26.25 per cent over five years, with the first 15.5 per cent increase being effective immediately. That results in an average 5.25 per cent per year!

The strike came after the federal government, in an unprecedented move, demanded that the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) impose binding arbitration to throw a wrench in the strike plans. But strictly speaking, the ruling didn’t strip the AMEs of their right to strike, so they did precisely that.

This momentous battle between WestJet and the Aircraft Mechanics’ Fraternal Association (AMFA), the union representing the WestJet AMEs, has been quite the saga. Right from the beginning, WestJet has tried to bust the union.

They tried everything. They attempted to disrupt the very process of unionization by disputing the size of the bargaining unit, hoping to divide the workers and reduce their collective bargaining strength. They refused to provide benefits to union representatives that were previously provided to an in-house employee association, even when performing identical responsibilities. The CEO made veiled threats during negotiations of outsourcing all AMEs’ jobs. They actually outsourced AMEs’ traditional work. They made insulting offers of below-inflation wage increases (initially 9.5 per cent over five years). They initiated job action first by giving notice of a lock-out. They’ve refused to negotiate. They asked for undemocratic intervention from the CIRB and the federal government. They’ve requested that the government “quash” the AMEs’ strike notice on an “urgent” basis and without a prior hearing. And they’ve made threats of retaliation against AMEs participating in a lawful strike!  

Further to this, WestJet stands accused of various Canada Labour Code violations and bad-faith bargaining. If all of this is news to you, one should not be surprised.  At best, the hypocritical mainstream media has failed to give an honest accounting of the conflict. 

At worst, they have platformed raging, right-wing corporate shills who feign concern for Canadian travelers and attempt to pit them against the workers. They paint the workers as greedy, all the while having nothing to say about executives’ exorbitant compensation. Nor do they report on the litany of union-busting tactics used by WestJet against AMFA, nor the safety risks created by AME staffing shortages (caused by substandard wages and working conditions, in turn caused by the greed of capitalism and the profit motive). What the bosses and the right wing cannot fathom is that for once, a union didn’t respect the procedures that always favour the bosses. 

Binding arbitration is a trap, where a supposedly “neutral” arbiter decides—instead of allowing workers to exercise their democratic right to strike and forcing concessions from the boss.  

The workers didn’t wait for this process to start, and immediately got results. 

What this shows is that it is high time for the labour movement to break with the “labour relations” traditions that have led to so many defeats.  The bosses don’t hesitate to use all sorts of dirty tactics to crush the workers. 

Such are things under capitalism. They have no “good faith”.  We also need to use all the means at our disposal to win.