WestJet has avoided a labour strike with its regional carrier pilots after the union representing them reached a tentative deal on Thursday.
WestJet Encore pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), voted to approve the deal, ending the possibility of a June 1 strike.
“After our pilots rejected the tentative agreement presented to them last month, citing the WestJet Group’s failure to address issues of central importance to the pilot group, we are very pleased to announce we have reached a new tentative agreement with management which addresses those issues,” reads a statement from ALPA.
Members will begin voting on the new agreement over the coming days.
The union had previously said some progress has been made after two weeks of bargaining following the pilots’ rejection of a tentative agreement, but the sides remain apart on key issues.
WestJet said in a statement Wednesday that the tentative agreement rejected earlier this month would have made the pilots some of the highest paid.
The Air Line Pilots Association represents 355 Encore pilots, who in early April approved a strike mandate.
It said at the time that members voted 97 per cent in favour after contract talks around pay, schedules and career progression came to a “near standstill.”