Video: 100,000 passengers stranded amid major airline strike
In a Sunday press release, Air Canada confirmed that it had suspended a plan to resume Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights after the Canadian Union of Public Employees 'illegally directed its flight attendant members to defy a direction from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to return to work.' The press release noted that flights would resume on Monday evening.
'All operations of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge were suspended August 16, 2025, due to a strike by CUPE. In accordance with the Government of Canada's direction, the CIRB ordered a resumption of our activities and directed our flight attendants to return to work,' Air Canada stated. 'This order ended both CUPE's strike and the lockout Air Canada had imposed in response. Approximately 240 flights scheduled to operate beginning this afternoon have now been cancelled.'
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According to Fox Business, flight attendants unionized as part of the Canadian Union of Public Employees launched a strike shortly after 1 a.m. on Saturday, which caused over 100,000 passengers to be stranded as the majority of Air Canada's 700 daily flights were grounded.
Fox Business reported that the flight attendants claimed they are only paid for work when an airplane is moving and that they are not paid for the boarding or unloading processes.
A video shared Monday on X, formerly Twitter, shows Air Canada Flight Attendants displaying flags and signs as part of the strike against Air Canada.
✈️✊🏾 CUPE Ontario President, Fred Hahn and Secretary-Treasurer, Yolanda McClean joined Air Canada Flight Attendants, who are on strike for a contract that pays them for all the hours they actually work. From boarding to delays to layovers, their time is real work, and it deserves… pic.twitter.com/QhQ1CcpyLw — CUPE Ontario (@CUPEOntario) August 18, 2025
According to Reuters, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's administration asked the Canadian Industrial Relations Board on Sunday to issue an order imposing binding arbitration and forcing an end to the flight attendant strike. While the board issued the order, the flight attendant union opposed the government order, according to Reuters.
In a statement to Fox Business, the Canadian Union of Public Employees said, 'We will be challenging this blatantly unconstitutional order that violates the Charter rights of 10,517 flight attendants, 70% of whom are women, and 100% of whom are forced to do hours of unpaid work by their employer every time they come to work.'
'We invite Air Canada back to the table to negotiate a fair deal, rather than relying on the federal government to do their dirty work for them when bargaining gets a little bit tough,' the union added.
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