Yahoo polls: As Air Canada prepares for a possible work stoppage from flight attendants, who do you support?

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19 hours ago

Have your say: Yahoo News Canada wants to know your thoughts on affected travel and worker wages amid a deadlock between Air Canada and its flight attendants
As Air Canada prepares for a possible work stoppage this weekend, many Canadians might be left wondering what travel with the airline might look like in the near future.
On Wednesday, Air Canada announced it will start cancelling flights this week, starting with a gradual suspension of scheduled trips on Thursday. That will lead to more cancelled flights on Friday, with a complete halt to flying beginning Saturday, as staff plan to go on strike amid unsuccessful labour negotiations.
This comes after the union representing around 10,000 flight attendants issued a 72-hour strike notice around 1 a.m. ET on Aug. 13. Out of the union's members, 99.7 per cent voted in favour of a strike. The airline responded by issuing a lockout notice half an hour later.
Yahoo News Canada wants to hear from you! Do you support flight attendants who want fair pay? Or, are you worried about upcoming flight disruptions and hope Air Canada gets a last-minute deal before the weekend?
We want you to have your say.
Why are Air Canada flight attendants planning to strike?
Air Canada and the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) have seen little success in negotiating a new collective agreement since the start of this year. Flight attendants of the union have been locked into a collective agreement since March 2015.
On Tuesday, the airline said it reached an "impasse" with the union as both sides remained far apart in discussing a new contract. Air Canada had also proposed to enter a binding arbitration, but the union rejected the move, saying it prefers to negotiate a deal that its members can then vote on. The union added that arbitrators rely on "the status quo to make their determinations," but flight attendants are trying to break free from the precedent.
The issue of unpaid work is one major point of contention between both sides, and the union has noted its members are being paid "poverty wages." According to CUPE, wages for entry-level Air Canada flight attendants have risen 10 per cent, or $3 an hour, over the past 25 years, arguing that this hasn't kept up with inflation.
Moreover, flight attendants are currently paid an hourly rate only after the airplane takes off, which then stops upon landing. In turn, the union noted that flight attendants aren't paid "for a significant portion of their time on the job," which includes performing duties like boarding, pre-flight safety checks and de-planing.
According to the union, Air Canada had offered to begin paying flight attendants for this labour — but only at 50 per cent of their hourly rate. It also added that the company offered a new four-year contract, which featured an eight-per-cent raise on wages for the first year and a total 17.2-per-cent increase across the four years.
On the other hand, Air Canada said it offered a proposal to the union this week featuring a 38-per-cent increase in total compensation, including wages and benefits, across a four-year contract. But the airline said the union rejected the offer and counter-proposed a plan where they sought "exorbitant increases" to their compensation.
Who will be affected if Air Canada flight attendants go on strike?
If a last-minute deal isn't reached and workers go on strike, flights under Air Canada's main operations and Air Canada Rouge will be affected. Flights under Air Canada Express, which include Jazz and PAL flights, will operate as normal since these flight attendants aren't part of the negotiations.
Air Canada has said it will notify passengers who have upcoming flights that will be disrupted by cancellations. Customers who have their flights cancelled will be eligible for a full refund, which can be obtained through Air Canada's website or mobile app.
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The company has also said it's working with other airlines to give customers alternative travel options where possible. That includes passengers whose itineraries change mid-journey.
"However, given other carriers are already very full due to the summer travel peak, securing such capacity will take time and, in many cases, will not be immediately possible," the airline noted.
Customers who are booked to fly with Air Canada between Aug. 15 and 18 can change their flight for free, the company has indicated, if they made their booking before Aug. 13. These flights can be changed for routes scheduled between Aug. 21 and Sept. 12.
For people who purchased non-refundable fares, the airline added customers can cancel their booking and get the unused value of their ticket as credit for a future Air Canada booking.
Air Canada has also warned that people won't be eligible for regulatory compensation for situations outside of its control (like strikes or a lockout), according to Canada's Airline Passenger Protection Regulations.