VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) \u2014 Flight attendants with WestJet, Canada\u2019s second-largest airline, went on strike Sunday in a dispute over pay.<\/p>\n
The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents the 4,400 cabin crew at the airline, announced the strike on its Facebook page. WestJet confirmed the strike and canceled more than 300 flights as of early Sunday, snarling travel plans in Canada in the middle of a three-day weekend. <\/p>\n
A key issue in the dispute<\/a> was how flight attendants should be paid for duties performed while still on the ground. The union said some of that work is unpaid, while the company said its staff was indeed compensated, citing pay through a \u201ccredit hour\u201d system rather than an hourly rate.<\/p>\n \u201cWe presented a proposal that would have set a new standard for cabin crew in Canada, making WestJet the only airline to offer an hourly rate covering all time before and after flights, plus a double-digit wage increase in year one among other priorities the union raised,\u201d said Alexis von Hoensbroech, CEO of the WestJet Group. \u201cUnfortunately, it wasn\u2019t accepted.\u201d <\/p>\n Alia Hussain, president of the union chapter that represents the cabin crew, said negotiators \u201ctried until the very last minute to get a fair deal that recognizes the value of the work cabin crews do.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWestJet\u2019s offer did not go far enough,\u201d Hussain said.<\/p>\n Both sides said they were willing to resume negotiations to reach an agreement. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, travelers whose flights were canceled scrambled for accommodations or alternate flights.<\/p>\n Keavin Ly, a systems administrator for an animation studio, was stranded in Squamish, British Columbia, with his girlfriend after the couple spent the week rock climbing. They were supposed to fly back to Los Angeles on Sunday morning. The airline offered to reschedule their flight for Aug. 4, but they\u2019re scrambling to figure out where to stay between now and then. <\/p>\n \u201cInconveniently, our Airbnb and car rentals are done, and everything\u2019s booked,\u201d said Ly, 29. They\u2019re entertaining the idea of sleeping in the back of a friend\u2019s rental car, he said.<\/p>\n Ly had planned to take time off from work to watch a friend compete in a national billiards competition, but now he fears he\u2019ll miss it. And his girlfriend will miss shifts as a nurse, he said. <\/p>\n