CUPE 8125 Calls on Federal Government to Respect Collective Bargaining Rights at WestJet
As conciliation between WestJet and CUPE 8125, the union representing WestJet flight attendants, approaches its conclusion, the local is calling on the federal government to respect the collective bargaining process and refrain from unnecessary intervention under Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code.
Section 107 was intended to address exceptional circumstances under the Canada Labour Code. However, its increasing use in federally regulated labour disputes has raised serious concerns throughout the labour movement about government interference in the collective bargaining process.
Those concerns intensified last summer when the federal government used Section 107 during the Air Canada flight attendants' labour dispute, preventing workers from exercising their full bargaining rights and referring the matter to the Canada Industrial Relations Board. Many unions viewed that intervention as a troubling precedent that risks undermining confidence in free and fair collective bargaining.
"Collective bargaining and the right to strike are protected rights in Canada," said Alia Hussain, President of CUPE 8125. "When governments intervene before parties have had the opportunity to fully exercise those rights, it risks altering the balance that is essential to meaningful negotiations."
