Concerns rise in Winnipeg as Air Canada labour dispute could see flights grounded

CBC

2 hours ago

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Flight attendants with Air Canada could go on strike as early as this weekend, and that has some travellers in Winnipeg anxious about what that could mean for their travel plans.
Newfoundland resident Paula Drover, who travels back and forth between the East Coast and Winnipeg every two weeks for her job, was boarding a plane home at Winnipeg's airport on Wednesday.
She said she and many of her co-workers are concerned about whether they will be able to continue to make the trips she says are an integral part of their jobs.
"We have to travel," Drover said. "I have to work and I'm needed at work, so I kinda want to get here.
"It's going to be work-impacting for sure."
Air Canada said on Wednesday it will begin cancelling flights on Thursday ahead of a potential strike that could see more than 10,000 flight attendants walk off the job this weekend.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees gave the carrier a requisite 72-hour strike notice overnight after the two sides reached an impasse in negotiations on Tuesday.
Should they walk off the job, the country's largest airline says there would be a gradual suspension of flights, before a complete cessation of flying by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge by the weekend.
About 130,000 customers a day could be affected by a disruption, according to Air Canada.
Despite her concerns however, Drover says she would support the workers if they do end up on strike.
"They deserve fair wages, they work hard," she said. "I fly quite often and they deal with a lot during a flight."
Debbie Iwanchuk from Oakbank was travelling from Winnipeg to Scotland on Wednesday for a three-week trip, but said she is now concerned about whether or not she can get back, depending on how long a strike could last.
"We've been planning this for six months. I just heard about two weeks ago, so I started to worry about it, and now it looks like it's going to be a strike starting this week," she said.
While in Scotland, she said her and her husband will likely be glued to their phones, trying to get the latest updates on the labour dispute before they are scheduled to return.
"We'll be checking. I'm sure we'll be able to look through our phones and get the updates on the news and whatever because we have a plan that covers our roaming charges, so we'll be checking."
Despite her concerns she said she is in favour of a strike if that's what it takes for flight attendants to get the agreement they are looking for.
"I'm all for them getting what they want, upgraded wages and benefits," Iwanchuk said.
"They deserve it."
CUPE representatives said in response to their strike action, Air Canada issued a notice of lockout to start at 1:30 a.m. ET on Saturday. Air Canada confirmed the lockout on Wednesday.