A strike by WestJet Airlines’ mechanics that has led to hundreds of cancelled flights over Canada’s long holiday weekend will continue until a deal is reached, the union’s president told Reuters on Sunday.
Bret Oestreich, president of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, said the two sides will reconvene with a mediator on Sunday. The union represents around 680 workers at WestJet, including aircraft maintenance engineers, who went on strike Friday after 97% of its members rejected a pay deal reached in May.
“All we want to do is to go back to the table,” said Oestreich. “The strike will be in effect until we get an agreement.”
He said the two sides are separated by a first-year economic difference of approximately 7%, or less than $8 million on a roughly four-year contract.