Attendants' Strike Upends WestJet

Canadians trying to travel over one of the busiest weekends of the year have found themselves stuck in the middle of a labor showdown at WestJet. Flight attendants went on strike on Sunday, forcing cancellations and leaving passengers scrambling for alternatives, often at steep personal cost and with few clear answers from the airline. Picket lines are up, but talks between WestJet and the Canadian Union of Public Employees are still underway in Calgary, CBC reports. The union represents the airline's 4,400 cabin crew members, per the AP.

The core dispute: how flight attendants are paid, with the union arguing they aren't compensated for much of the work they do while on the ground. WestJet maintains it has already put forward its best possible proposal. The union's president said it was inadequate, adding that labor negotiators "tried until the very last minute to get a fair deal that recognizes the value of the work cabin crews do." The government hasn't stepped in, but it could move to end the stoppage under Section 107 of the Labor Code if the strike drags past the long weekend. Monday is Canada's civic holiday.