June 27, 2024
In an order received this afternoon, the Minister of Labour ordered the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to impose final binding arbitration to resolve the outstanding terms of our collective bargaining agreement.
In a June 19 CIRB decision rejecting WestJet’s previous application for a strike injunction, the Board determined that it did not have the authority to interfere in the free bargaining process nor abridge the sacred right of workers to withhold their labour in order to obtain improved wages and working conditions.
The Board continued to consider WestJet’s request for compulsory arbitration under the Canada Labour Code. Its prior decisions confirmed that it had submitted parties to that process only seven times in the last forty-five years. AMFA diligently worked on its objection to the request in the late hours of the night. The Minister’s order issued prior to AMFA’s filing of its brief to the CIRB.
AMFA legal counsel and FMCS representative advises that there is no modern precedent for the Minister’s action. AMFA will comply with the Minister’s order and directs its members to refrain from any unlawful job action.
Fraternally,
AMFA-WestJet Negotiating Committee
