WestJet Airlines Ltd. and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) have reached a tentative collective agreement for the bargaining unit of WestJet Encore pilots. Upon ratification by ALPA members, this will be the first collective agreement for this bargaining unit. The negotiations followed a mediation/arbitration process for a bargaining unit of pilots with WestJet and Swoop, a discount carrier found to be a common employer in an interim arbitration award. NAA member William Kaplan was selected by the parties as Mediator/Arbitrator, to assist with collective bargaining, and to issue an Arbitration Award for the first collective agreement for the WestJet and Swoop bargaining unit. The Arbitrator issued an Award in December, 2018, binding on all parties, to address remaining outstanding issues. For the Encore pilot group, the parties were assisted in bargaining by the terms of the Award issued for the WestJet and Swoop bargaining unit. For further information, see the following article here.
