Air Canada to cancel most of its 700 flights by Friday as strike looms
US carrier United Airlines, a code share partner of Air Canada, said it has issued a travel waiver to help customers manage their travel plans.
Two days before the possible work stoppage, Air Canada passengers expressed concerns to Reuters over missed vacations and being stranded abroad, and many voiced support for the flight attendants.
David Nguyen, 28, a pharmacist on vacation outside Cancun, Mexico, said he was worried his flight back to Toronto on Friday will be cancelled, leaving him stranded. He said he tried rebooking on another carrier but all the refundable options were sold out and the ones that are left cost more than C$1,000 (R12,737).
'If my flight does get cancelled that's when I'll be in a bit of a pickle because I don't know what my next step will be,' said Nguyen, adding Air Canada 'should pay their flight attendants appropriately'.
Summer Mehdi, 19, a third-year student at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, said her family of four planned to catch a flight from Toronto to Lisbon on Saturday, but their summer vacation to Portugal and France was in limbo.
'My family and I 100% agree with the strike and we want the employees to get what they deserve,' Mehdi said.
'We wish there was more communication. It's a stressful situation for everyone.'
Earlier in the day, Canadian jobs minister Patty Hajdu urged the two parties in the dispute to return to the bargaining table and reach a deal that could avert disruptions.
A spokesperson for the Canadian Union of Public Employees (Cupe), which represents the flight attendants, said Air Canada negotiators stopped bargaining and have not responded to a proposal they made earlier this week.
'We believe the company wants the federal government to intervene and bail them out.'
Hajdu said on the social media site X she has agreed to a union request to respond to the airline's call for binding arbitration by 12pm ET on Friday. Cupe has previously said it opposes binding arbitration.
Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, chief human resources officer at Air Canada, said on Thursday the carrier was 'available to bargain at any time on the condition the negotiation has substance'.
Meloul-Wechsler spoke at a press conference held by Air Canada executives that ended abruptly when union members carrying placards entered the Toronto hotel conference room where it was being held.
The dispute hinges on the way airlines compensate flight attendants. Most have traditionally paid them only when planes are in motion.
In their latest contract negotiations, flight attendants in North America have sought compensation for hours worked, including for tasks such as boarding passengers and waiting at the airport before and between flights.
The union said Air Canada had offered to begin compensating flight attendants for some unpaid work, which the union said amounts to about 35 hours a month, but only at 50% of their hourly rate.
The airline said it had offered a 38% increase in total compensation for flight attendants over four years, with a 25% raise in the first year. The union has not publicised what it has asked for in terms of higher wages.
Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
eNCA
2 hours ago
- eNCA
Air Canada to resume flights after govt directive ends strike
OTTAWA - Air Canada said it will resume flying on Sunday after the country's industrial relations board ordered an end to a strike by 10,000 flight attendants that effectively shut down the airline and snarled summer travel. The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) "directed Air Canada to resume airline operations and for all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants to resume their duties by 14:00 EDT on August 17, 2025," the airline said in a statement. While it plans to resume flights on Sunday evening, Canada's flag carrier warned it would take "several days before its operations return to normal." Some flights are still set to be cancelled over the next seven to 10 days, it added. Air Canada cabin crew walked off the job early Saturday over a wage dispute. Hours later, Canada's labor policy minister, Patty Hajdu, invoked a legal provision to halt the strike and force both sides into binding arbitration. "The directive, under section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, and the CIRB's order, ends the strike at Air Canada that resulted in the suspension of more than 700 flights," the Montreal-based carrier said. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which is representing the workers, sought wage increases as well as to address uncompensated ground work, including during the boarding process. It had previously said its members would remain on strike until the government formally issued an order that they return to work. It had urged passengers not to go to the airport if they had a ticket for Air Canada or its lower-cost subsidiary Air Canada Rouge. While it did not immediately issue a response to the back-to-work directive, the CUPE earlier slammed the Canadian government's intervention as "rewarding Air Canada's refusal to negotiate fairly by giving them exactly what they wanted." "This sets a terrible precedent," it said. The union also pointed out that the chairwoman of CIRB, Maryse Tremblay, previously worked as legal counsel for Air Canada. Tremblay's ruling on whether to end the strike was "an almost unthinkable display of conflict-of-interest," the union posted on Facebook. On Thursday, Air Canada detailed the terms offered to cabin crew, indicating a senior flight attendant would on average make CAN$87,000 ($65,000) by 2027. CUPE has described Air Canada's offers as "below inflation (and) below market value." In a statement issued before the strike began, the Business Council of Canada warned an Air Canada work stoppage would exacerbate the economic pinch already being felt from US President Donald Trump's tariffs.
The Citizen
9 hours ago
- The Citizen
‘Unacceptable that SA mines are surrounded by squatter camps'
The study also found a need for global uniformity, including globally comparable wages, extending beyond just living wages. Mining companies operating in South Africa have failed to provide housing for their employees and local communities as required by law. This is according to the recent research conducted by the Bench Marks Foundation. It said that most of the mines are surrounded by informal settlements where mineworkers and host communities reside. 'South African mines are surrounded by squatter camps due to their failure to provide proper, dignified housing for their employees,' said David van Wyk, a researcher for the Bench Marks Foundation. 'For example, we have been calling on a mining firm operating in Marikana, where more than 40 people were killed by security forces, to improve the housing conditions of the people in the area, but to no avail.' Van Wyk said the research also revealed that there was a need for the mining companies operating in the country to strive to bring the mining-affected communities to similar standards with those based in North America and Australia. 'The foundation's latest research, published in our Policy Gap 14, points out that it is unacceptable that South African mines are surrounded by squatter camps (misnamed informal settlements) due to the failure of South African mines to provide proper, dignified housing for their employees. There needs to be global uniformity in working and living conditions,' Van Wyk said. Wages The study also found a need for global uniformity, including globally comparable wages, extending beyond just living wages. It further said that the wage gap between South African and Australian mineworkers is completely unjustifiable. 'The weighted mean wage for the lowest paid categories in mining in the United States is US$16.21 per hour, while in South Africa, the average general mineworker's salary is R177 600 per year, which works out at R91.08 per hour (that is US$4.96 per hour: 30% of the US wage).' According to the study, the mine wage scale model used in South Africa is outdated and derives from apartheid practices. 'It is time to adapt to global best practice,' the document reads. ALSO READ: How SA's old coal mines can offer hope for dying towns Settlements are missing basic services The Mining Affected Communities United in Action (Macua) has welcomed the study. Sabelo Mnguni, Macua national coordinator, said the foundation's findings were in line with what 'we have seen and documented in mining communities across South Africa'. 'Mining-affected communities have been living with this reality for decades. 'The failure of mining companies to provide proper, dignified housing for workers is a direct result of weak enforcement of social and labour plans under the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, combined with corporate cost-cutting that prioritises profits over people.' He said to make things worse, informal settlements are often without basic services such as clean water, sanitation and electricity. Mnguni said Macua's research showed that up to 70% of mines have failed to meet legally binding social and labour plans commitments on housing and living conditions. 'This is well-documented through our social audit reports and by various community groups, civil society organisations and even Parliament. 'The government must strictly enforce social and labour plans housing provisions and hold mining companies legally accountable for non-compliance, including suspending mining rights where obligations are not met. 'The current proposals in the Act undermine these obligations and try to turn them into discretionary provisions,' said Mnguni. The Minerals Council South Africa did not respond to questions sent yesterday. NOW READ: SA's shrinking mining sector and the policies that brought us here
eNCA
21 hours ago
- eNCA
Air Canada grounds hundreds of flights over cabin crew strike
TORONTO - Air Canada cancelled hundreds of flights Saturday as it began shutting down operations in response to a strike by flight attendants -- triggering summer travel chaos for its 130,000 daily passengers. Canada's largest airline, which flies directly to 180 cities worldwide, urged customers not to go to the airport if they have a ticket for Air Canada or its lower-cost subsidiary Air Canada Rouge. It said flights by Air Canada Express, which are operated by a third party, would not be impacted by the walkout. "Air Canada deeply regrets the effect the strike is having on customers," the company said in a statement. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents Air Canada's 10,000 flight attendants, said that strike action officially began at 12:58 am local time (0458 GMT) on Saturday. In response, Air Canada began a "lockout" of cabin crew belonging to CUPE, preventing the employees from working during the standoff fueled by a payment dispute. Air Canada had been gradually winding down operations ahead of the possible labor action. As of 8:00 pm Friday, the airline said it had cancelled 623 flights affecting more than 100,000 passengers. Its full 700-flight daily schedule has been scrapped for Saturday. "At this time, Air Canada remains engaged and committed to negotiate a renewal to its collective agreement with CUPE," it said. - Unpaid ground work - In addition to wage increases, the union says it wants to address uncompensated ground work, including during the boarding process. Rafael Gomez, who heads the University of Toronto's Center for Industrial Relations, told AFP it is "common practice, even around the world" to compensate flight attendants based on time spent in the air. He said the union had built an effective communication campaign around the issue, creating a public perception of unfairness. An average passenger, not familiar with common industry practice, could think, "'I'm waiting to board the plane and there's a flight attendant helping me, but they're technically not being paid for that work,'" he said, speaking before the strike began. "That's a very good issue to highlight," Gomez further said, adding that gains made by Air Canada employees could impact other carriers. Air Canada detailed its latest offer in a Thursday statement, specifying that under the terms, a senior flight attendant would on average make CAN$87,000 ($65,000) by 2027. CUPE has described Air Canada's offers as "below inflation (and) below market value." The union has also rejected requests from the federal government and Air Canada to resolve outstanding issues through independent arbitration. Gomez said he did not expect any stoppage to last long. "This is peak season," he said. "The airline does not want to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue... They're almost playing chicken with the flight attendants." Canada's economy, though showing resilience, has begun feeling the effects of President Donald Trump's trade war, with his tariffs hitting crucial sectors like auto, aluminum and steel. In a statement issued before the strike began, the Business Council of Canada warned an Air Canada work stoppage could add further pain. "At a time when Canada is dealing with unprecedented pressures on our critical economic supply chains, the disruption of national air passenger travel and cargo transport services would cause immediate and extensive harm to all Canadians," it said. bs/cwl/bjt/md
