How much work are Air Canada flight attendants not getting paid for?
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The Canadian Union of Public Employees said demonstrations were set for Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Vancouver International Airport and Calgary International Airport, all at 1 p.m. ET.
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Among the issues, CUPE said, is that flight attendants are paid only for 'block time,' which begins at takeoff and lasts until landing. The union said attendants are spending time performing 'unpaid duties' during ground time before and after flights.
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In a briefing note released this month, CUPE noted: 'Flight attendants at Air Canada are required to perform unpaid duties every day before and after flights. This includes critical safety checks, boarding and deplaning procedures, assisting passengers with special needs, and preparing the cabin.'
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It concludes: 'Flight attendants are not paid for a significant portion of their time on the job,' and notes that the safety-related duties are not optional, as they are mandated by Transport Canada.
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How much time are we talking?
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A 2023 survey of Canadian flight attendants from CUPE's Airline Division found that they performed unpaid work for 34.86 hours per month, on average — the equivalent of almost one full work week per month.
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The survey, which ran between Dec. 10, 2022, and Jan. 11, 2023, received 9,807 responses.
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'Unpaid work is a dirty secret in this industry, and one we are determined to stamp out,' said Wesley Lesosky, President of CUPE's Airline Division, at the time. 'The bottom line is, if we're on the jobsite, in our uniforms, performing work duties then we should be getting paid — full stop.'
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In its own statement, Air Canada notes that 'the current compensation model was negotiated with and unanimously endorsed by the union's eight-member bargaining committee, and ratified by the flight attendants, in the last bargaining round.'
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It adds: 'This model had also been used in previous contracts dating back many years. Air Canada's approach to flight attendant compensation, including for ground time, is consistent with that at most global carriers. In fact, CUPE reached a new contract with a large Canadian carrier in 2024 that uses this same approach.'
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