URGENT: Join 81090 Canadians demanding an end to unpaid work.
Remember when flying WestJet actually felt different? The cozy branding. The undeniable feeling that you were supporting a hometown, Western success story that did things right.
Back then, employees were owners, and you could feel that pride in the cabin.
That airline is gone.
Since handing the reins over to a private equity firm, WestJet has traded its unique entrepreneurial spirit for a ruthless corporate playbook.
Today, the operation is just about cutting corners. You feel it every time you book a ticket: baggage and seat selection fees multiply, perks disappear, and legroom shrinks.
But the people feeling it the most are the ones in the aisle. The crews actually making the airline run are being squeezed to the breaking point. Flight attendants are working grueling, maxed-out schedules to cover staffing gaps - while being unpaid for many work hours!
They are expected to manage boarding chaos and ground delays entirely off the clock.
Management is busy acquiring competitors and boasting about network expansion, all while claiming there isn't enough money to offer its front-line workers a fair, livable contract.
WestJet’s flight attendants are fighting to bring back the airline you deserve. They need public support to stop the race to the bottom.
It is simple. We want to be paid for all of the time that we are working.
Right now, WestJet flight attendants work up to 35 hours every month for free. WestJet claims they pay for all hours, but our pay is heavily tied to when the plane pushes back. Boarding, safety sweeps, assisting passengers, and ground delays are entirely on our dime. We are done subsidizing WestJet profits with unpaid labour.
We are tired of working for free. We average a full workweek every month of unpaid ground work. After nearly a year of stalled talks, a strike mandate was the only way to force WestJet to take us seriously. We are united and ready to walk if we must.
No. That is corporate spin. WestJet only pays for the time between gate departure and arrival. Assisting passengers with boarding and baggage, and managing gate holds take time. We are in uniform, on the clock, and responsible for your safety. In fact, Phase 2 of a recent federal government audit confirmed that flight attendants perform extensive unpaid work, and that in many instances, WestJet flight attendants are effectively being paid below minimum wage. Under WestJet's outdated system, these critical duty hours remain completely unpaid.
Not at all. We lose about $1,100 a month and more than $13,000 a year in unpaid labour. Add up every boarding process, ground delay, aircraft turn, and post-flight check over a month. It easily hits 35 hours of free labour. The CEO calls this a wrong characterization. We call it wage theft.
No. Boarding is one of the most safety-critical phases of any flight. Flight attendants are actively managing aircraft security, screening passengers, handling medical emergencies, and preparing for potential evacuations the moment boarding begins. Expecting safety professionals to manage high-stress security risks without pay is unacceptable.
No. A strike mandate is legal leverage. It gives our team the power to strike if WestJet refuses a fair deal. We still have federal cooling-off periods. We want a contract, not a strike. However, WestJet will not fix this broken system unless we show we are willing to withdraw our labour.
Because the game is rigged. WestJet wants Ottawa to use Section 107 to block our strike. If the government forces arbitration, the pressure vanishes. WestJet gets a bailout and gets to keep relying on free labour. The government has no business shielding a corporation that refuses to pay its employees for their time. Ottawa needs to let the bargaining process work.
The math is brutal. When you factor in unpaid prep, boarding, and ground holds, a starting flight attendant earns an effective wage of $14.10 to $14.44 an hour, well below the federal minimum wage of $18.15 A full-time junior flight attendant works roughly 1,920 hours a year but is only paid for 960 flown hours, bringing home just $27,725 a year. A federal minimum wage worker doing the exact same total hours brings home $34,848 (or $37,752 on a 40-hour week). Highly trained safety professionals are making over $7,000 less than minimum wage, pushing them to food banks while the airline profits.
Absolutely. WestJet is profitable, and its private equity owners recently sold a 25% stake in the airline to foreign carriers for approximately $550M USD. The money is there. Executives and investors are simply choosing to hoard profits while forcing the crew members keeping their planes safe to work for free.
Follow the money. In 2019, a private equity firm called Onex bought WestJet. They are eyeing an IPO in the next couple of years. Cutting costs and maximizing profits is integral to their investor pitch, and they are doing it by squeezing over 4,000 flight attendants. Decades ago, unpaid work was offset by profit sharing. That is gone. Now, we just get poverty-level wages while they slash costs.
Boarding used to take 10 minutes. Now it takes 40 minutes. Airlines simply do not care about wasted time when they are not paying for it. They monetize your impatience through seat selection and loyalty programs, making billions in revenue off our backs.
No. Algorithms and competition drive ticket prices, not our wages. WestJet is raking in billions while we work nearly a week every month for free. Paying us for the hours we actually work is a drop in the bucket for a highly profitable corporation.
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Why I'm supporting...
m t
afton station, NS
Dear WestJet Execs, I am sitting in the airport, waiting for my flight to board, and shocked to read that WestJet does not pay flight attendants their entitled proper compensation. I had always considered this airline a respectable one that valued both its customers and its staff and considered WestJet the friendlier Canadian option. Learning about the very unjust compensation that is paid to your flight attendants, I am very much reconsidering that opinion and future flights with the airline as long as this unfair practice is maintained.
leslie m
comox, BC
Not paying people for work they are not agreeing to do as a volunteer is slavery and is repugnant and outrageous. Pay. Your. Employees. For. All. The. Work. And. Time. They. Undertake.
holly f
saskatoon, SK
I’m supporting because of the old saying “why fix if it ain’t broken” Why are all the changes happening? It’s quite obvious the past few years have not been good for the WestJet members, staff and all kindness has gone out the window ☹️
dawn d
edmonton, AB
This is ridiculous that people show up at work, do work, serve the public (paying passengers) which is mandatory and not get paid. This should be against law. Thousands of dollars in free labour but yet passengers keep paying more. Pay your staff from the minute they start work!!
rosemary r
ottawa, ON
I stand with the flight attendants. Will not book with Westjet until this is properly resolved.
austin d
new westminster, BC
I support this petition because flight attendants deserve to be paid for all the time we spend working, not just the time the aircraft is in the air. Our responsibilities begin long before takeoff, including reporting for duty, conducting safety checks, preparing the cabin, assisting passengers during boarding, and managing delays. These are essential duties that ensure the safety and comfort of our guests. Fair compensation for all hours worked recognizes the value of our profession and the dedication we bring to every flight.
christina b
saskatoon, SK
I have very close friends and family in the aviation industry and witness the love they have for their jobs. However, I also witness the hours put in without pay on the ground. I'm not sure how any industry can get away with this. I fully support being paid while working. Not sure how that is even a question!!!
SIGN THE PETITION
WestJet’s flight attendants are fighting to bring back the airline you deserve. They need public support to stop the race to the bottom.
Sign the petitionbarbara b
calgary, AB
Westjet attendants work very hard and deserve to get paid for every minute they work not just when the plane is in the air.
julie d
gloucester, ON
Because, no one should work for free in Canada (or anywhere else in the world)…..employees should be paid as soon as they are working for Westjet period…..
remi h
leduc, AB
I think this is a very unfair practice. I do not think that there is any management working for unpaid time.
rose b
regina, SK
I'm supporting because I have personally known several Westjet attendants over the years. I was appalled when I heard they dont get paid until the doors close and the fact that when they're dead heading to other locations to fill positions they are not paid either no per diem, nothing. Free labour is not OK.
margaret s
st anns, ON
I used to love flying west jet. No more. You need to pay flight attendants from the moment they arrive until they leave. Our safety depends on good attendants. Proper legroom would be nice, too.
lucy d
winnipeg, MB
Westjet employees deserve better. Bring us back to the early days of Westjet when employees and travellers were treated well!
grace l
kamloops, BC
I utilize Westjet flights and believe that workers should be paid from the time they check in until the time they check out.
TAKE ACTION NOW
WestJet cut the legroom. Now they’re squeezing the frontline workers. We need your help to bring back the airline you deserve.
Sign the petitiongail l
calgary, AB
These people work hard every day & serve the public with pride. They deserve better from Westjet. You need to listen to what they are saying and act NOW!
violet b
kelowna, BC
Everyone deserves to be paid for ALL hours they are expected to be at work. Our government and our businesses and our corporations should not be able to exploit the working class in the ways that they are being exploited. We see it, and we will not stand for it. I know that myself and many others are starting to become more conscious of where we spend our hard earned money, and the more I see a business/corporation treating their employees as less than human and exploiting them for profit the more I am turned towards businesses that make efforts to be more ethical. It's about putting people first over profits, both customer experience and your employees' quality of life will be positively impacted by putting people first and operating in a way that is aligned with proper morals and ethics.
elizabeth c
calgary, AB
In no other occupation would unpaid work be acceptable.
bonnie b
edmonton, AB
I used to travel with Westjet every time. But I am using other airlines now because I can't condone the actions of the company. Pay employees for all the time they are helping with preparations and while present on the plane, as well as any other time spent on preparing to fly, just like most other lines of work. Treat staff and passengers right, and you will win trust and loyalty. When profit is the only motivation, you lose both.
jessica v
victoria, BC
This is slavery really. Forcing people to work for free, right? Plus gendered, even though more men are attendants now, this is gendered. The Board of Directors of WestJet should hang their heads in shame. The Federal govt should do the same.
olivia s
canmore, AB
I am tired of Corporations taking advantage of Canadians. These airlines continue to raise prices, make airline seat spaces smaller, remove amenities on the flight AND refuse to pay their workers while they are working.