Air Canada flight attendants end strike after reaching ‘tentative' deal
Roughly 10,000 flight attendants walked off the job after midnight Saturday, insisting Air Canada had failed to address their demands for higher pay and compensation for unpaid ground work, including during boarding.
The attendants' union defied an order from a regulatory tribunal to return to work on Sunday, forcing Air Canada to roll back plans to partially restore service.
But after resuming talks on Monday evening, the union said it had reached a potential deal with the airline that it would put to its members for consideration.
'The Strike has ended. We have a tentative agreement we will bring forward to you,' the Canadian Union of Public Employees' (CUPE) Air Canada branch said on Facebook today.
'We are required to advise our membership that we must fully cooperate with resumption of operations,' the statement said.
Air Canada said in a statement that it would 'gradually restart its operations' after reaching an agreement with CUPE through a mediator, William Kaplan.
It said the first flights were scheduled for Tuesday evening but warned that full service may not return for seven to 10 days.
'Restarting a major carrier like Air Canada is a complex undertaking. Full restoration may require a week or more,' Air Canada president Michael Rousseau said.
Neither the union nor the airline immediately provided details of the proposed agreement.
CUPE said its members would hold presentations to inform members about the deal, adding that their right to vote on wage changes 'was preserved.'
More travel disruption
Air Canada—the national carrier which flies directly to 180 cities domestically and abroad—has said the strike forced cancellations impacting 500,000 people.
Over the weekend, federal labor minister Patty Hajdu invoked a legal provision to halt the strike and force both sides into binding arbitration.
Following that intervention, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), a regulatory tribunal, ordered the flight attendants back to work Sunday.
But the union said it would not comply with the order, forcing Air Canada to walk back service resumption plans.
Air Canada told customers today to expect continued disruption 'as aircraft and crew are out of position.'
It urged passengers to only travel to the airport if their flight was shown as operating.
'The suspension of our service is extremely difficult for our customers. We deeply regret and apologize for the impact on them of this labour disruption,' Rousseau said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters yesterday it was 'disappointing' that eight months of negotiations between the carrier and union had not produced an agreement.
He said it was 'important' that flight attendants were 'compensated equitably,' but voiced unease that hundreds of thousands of people were facing travel uncertainty.
Last week, Air Canada detailed the terms offered to cabin crew, indicating a senior flight attendant would on average make CAN$87,000 (RM265,840) by 2027.
CUPE has described Air Canada's offers as 'below inflation (and) below market value.' — AFP
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Malay Mail
17 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Air Canada flight attendants end strike after reaching ‘tentative' deal
TORONTO, Aug 19 — Air Canada flight attendants said today they had reached a 'tentative' deal with the airline to end a strike over wages and ground work that has cancelled travel for half a million people worldwide. Roughly 10,000 flight attendants walked off the job after midnight Saturday, insisting Air Canada had failed to address their demands for higher pay and compensation for unpaid ground work, including during boarding. The attendants' union defied an order from a regulatory tribunal to return to work on Sunday, forcing Air Canada to roll back plans to partially restore service. But after resuming talks on Monday evening, the union said it had reached a potential deal with the airline that it would put to its members for consideration. 'The Strike has ended. We have a tentative agreement we will bring forward to you,' the Canadian Union of Public Employees' (CUPE) Air Canada branch said on Facebook today. 'We are required to advise our membership that we must fully cooperate with resumption of operations,' the statement said. Air Canada said in a statement that it would 'gradually restart its operations' after reaching an agreement with CUPE through a mediator, William Kaplan. It said the first flights were scheduled for Tuesday evening but warned that full service may not return for seven to 10 days. 'Restarting a major carrier like Air Canada is a complex undertaking. Full restoration may require a week or more,' Air Canada president Michael Rousseau said. Neither the union nor the airline immediately provided details of the proposed agreement. CUPE said its members would hold presentations to inform members about the deal, adding that their right to vote on wage changes 'was preserved.' More travel disruption Air Canada—the national carrier which flies directly to 180 cities domestically and abroad—has said the strike forced cancellations impacting 500,000 people. Over the weekend, federal labor minister Patty Hajdu invoked a legal provision to halt the strike and force both sides into binding arbitration. Following that intervention, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), a regulatory tribunal, ordered the flight attendants back to work Sunday. But the union said it would not comply with the order, forcing Air Canada to walk back service resumption plans. Air Canada told customers today to expect continued disruption 'as aircraft and crew are out of position.' It urged passengers to only travel to the airport if their flight was shown as operating. 'The suspension of our service is extremely difficult for our customers. We deeply regret and apologize for the impact on them of this labour disruption,' Rousseau said. Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters yesterday it was 'disappointing' that eight months of negotiations between the carrier and union had not produced an agreement. He said it was 'important' that flight attendants were 'compensated equitably,' but voiced unease that hundreds of thousands of people were facing travel uncertainty. Last week, Air Canada detailed the terms offered to cabin crew, indicating a senior flight attendant would on average make CAN$87,000 (RM265,840) by 2027. CUPE has described Air Canada's offers as 'below inflation (and) below market value.' — AFP
The Sun
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New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
Air Canada flight attendants vow to defy back-to-work order as strike talks resume
TORONTO: Striking Air Canada flight attendants vowed Monday to defy another back-to-work order from the country's labor tribunal, but resumed talks seeking to end a walkout that has cancelled travel for half a million people worldwide. Roughly 10,000 flight attendants walked off the job after midnight Saturday, insisting the airline had failed to address their demands for higher wages and compensation for unpaid ground work, including during boarding. Canada's national carrier, which flies directly to 180 cities domestically and abroad, said the strike had forced cancellations impacting 500,000 people. Over the weekend, federal labor minister Patty Hajdu invoked a legal provision to halt the strike and force both sides into binding arbitration. Following Hajdu's intervention, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB), a regulatory tribual, ordered the flight attendants back to work Sunday. The flight attendants' union said it would defy the order, forcing Air Canada to walk back plans to partially restore service. CIRB regulators upped the pressure Monday. It ordered the union "to resume the performance of their duties immediately and to refrain from engaging in unlawful strike activities," Air Canada said in a statement. The tribunal gave the Canadian Union of Public Employees until 12 pm (1600 GMT) to communicate to members that they "are required to resume the performance of their duties," the carrier added. Speaking after that deadline, CUPE president Mark Hancock told reporters the solution "has to be found at a bargaining table," and that the union will not respect the tribunal's ruling. "None of us want to be in defiance of the law," he said, but stressed the union would not waver in advocating for people asked to work hours on the ground during flight delays without "getting paid a dime." If Air Canada "thinks that planes will be flying this afternoon, they're sorely mistaken," Hancock said. The union said later Monday that it had resumed talks with the airline as part of "continued attempts to reach a fair deal." The evening meetings were taking place in Toronto with the assistance of a mediator, William Kaplan, CUPE's Air Canada component said in a statement on Facebook. But it added that "at this time, the strike is still on, and the talks have just commenced." Rafael Gomez, an industrial relations expert at the University of Toronto, told AFP the union may be on solid legal footing. The provision "is written in such a way that it's really for a situation where strikes have gone on a long time and there's no way forward," he said, suggesting that standard could not credibly apply to a strike that is just a few days old. Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters Monday it was "disappointing" that eight months of negotiations between the carrier and union did not produce an agreement. "We recognize very much the critical role that flight attendants play in keeping Canadians and their families safe as they travel," he said. "It is important that they're compensated equitably." But, he added, Canada faced a situation where hundreds of thousands of citizens and visitors were facing travel uncertainty. 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."
