Unifor welcomes 750 new members from WestJet’s Calgary call centre
TORONTO, Sept. 21, 2026 /CNW/ — WestJet contact centre workers in Calgary have voted by 89% to join Unifor, taking an important step toward gaining a stronger voice against outsourcing and negotiating their first collective agreement.
“We are thrilled to welcome these workers to Unifor. They join with other WestJet workers who are already members of our union,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
“Unifor is an experienced voice for workers across the aviation sector, and we look forward to working with these new members on their first collective agreement.”
The new 750-member bargaining unit includes air passenger protection regulations agents and guest services employees working in contact centre operations. The workers will become members of Unifor Local 531 once the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) completes its certification.
“Call centre workers live with constant uncertainty as employers outsource work, shift contracts and close workplaces with little warning,” said Unifor Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle.
“These are skilled workers providing essential customer service, and they deserve stable, secure jobs and not to have their livelihoods treated as disposable or precarious. Joining Unifor lets us help them fight back.”
Workers organized to address concerns about outsourcing, workplace discipline, scheduling, and wages. Unifor’s application was submitted to the Canada Industrial Relations Board on Dec. 18, 2025, following a sustained organizing effort by workers. The vote took place throughout last week.
“These workers organized because they want a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their jobs and their lives,” said Unifor Organizing Director Justin Gniposky.
“We are so proud of these new members. They showed courage in standing up to a big corporation and demanded better for their workplaces and their livelihoods. Organizing 750 new members creates possibly for change that we hope motivates other workers in aviation and other sectors to unionize.”
Last year, Unifor called on WestJet to stop offshoring Canadian contact-centre jobs and protect the Calgary workers involved. Since October 2024, about 400 Calgary positions have been transferred to TELUS Digital agents in El Salvador, while WestJet has frozen local hiring, reduced hours, encouraged voluntary departures and pressured some employees to move to part-time, even as call volumes remain high.
“This campaign was always about contact centre workers standing together and having a say in our future at WestJet,” said Jaee McKenna, a WestJet sales and service agent.
“We worked hard for this, had a lot of conversations with our co-workers and never gave up. Now, we get to take that energy into bargaining and start building our first collective agreement together.”
Organizing momentum among aviation contact centre workers continues to grow. In addition to the WestJet contact centre workers who have chosen the benefits and protections of collective bargaining, Unifor is currently working with more than 300 Porter Airlines contact centre workers who are organizing to join and gain a collective voice.
Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 320,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad and strives to create progressive change for a better future.
SOURCE Unifor
