WestJet Encore pilots have issued a strike notice. What it means for flights

The Air Line Pilots Association said Wednesday afternoon that WestJet Encore pilots have issued a 72-hour strike notice to management and the government.

Pilots at WestJet’s regional carrier could be going on strike at the beginning of June.

The Air Line Pilots Association said Wednesday afternoon that WestJet Encore pilots have issued a 72-hour strike notice to management and the government.

The union 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.

“After eight months of negotiating, and a failed (tentative agreement), unfortunately management has not recognized the pilots’ needs,” Carin Kenny, who heads the union’s WestJet Encore contingent, said in a statement.

“We have expressed to management that we are willing to work with them to further address the issues that clearly remain for our pilots.”

Kenny has said its workers are among the lowest-paid regional pilots in Canada.

WestJet said in a statement Wednesday that the tentative agreement rejected earlier this month would have made them some of the highest paid.

Meanwhile, the airline issued an advance lockout notice to the union, saying a work stoppage could occur as early as 6 p.m. mountain time on Saturday if no deal is reached.