Air Canada flight attendants could soon be on strike: Here's what to know

Yahoo

30-07-2025

In a vote that began on Monday, Air Canada's flight attendants will determine whether they wish to strike or not.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents more than 10,000 Air Canada's flight attendants, has been locked in negotiations with the airline for more than seven months.
The vote will remain open until Aug. 5.
Here's everything to know about why the vote is happening, if a strike could happen, and the impacts customers might feel while travelling.
What the union wants in the new contract
After a 10-year agreement, the union is seeking a new contract that it says should address the issues workers are facing.
The main issue they want fixed in the new contract is the amount of unpaid work flight attendants do. Of particular concern to the union is the unpaid pre-boarding preparation, which includes safety checks or assisting passengers with special needs.
The union says flight attendants in Canada work for free an average of 35 hours per month.
Besides the unpaid hours, the union also aims to increase wages and improve expense allowances, the amount of money they can spend daily while on layovers. The union also says it wants fairer rest and scheduling protections for flight attendants and a review of current pension offers.
'The company continues to show no willingness to meaningfully address the critical issues on the table: fair wages, compensation for all time worked, safe and humane working conditions, and a path forward that recognizes your professional value,' the union wrote in an update to its members.
If the majority votes yes to a strike, what happens?
If the majority of workers vote in favour of it, and no agreement is reached, the 72-hour strike notice could be given as early as Aug. 16.
However, the union says that its goal is still to reach a new contract at the bargaining table; but if not, a strike could happen as a last resort.
What does Air Canada say about it?
On Friday, Air Canada acknowledged that the vote was happening, saying this is a 'a normal step in the negotiation process and does not mean that any disruption will take place.'
The airline also said it is committed to the bargaining process and remains fully available for more negotiations with CUPE to reach a fair and equitable collective agreement.
How might this impact customers?
Flights operated by Air Canada's main line or Rouge would be impacted, and most likely cancelled were flight attendants to go on strike. Air Canada Express and Jazz flights might not be impacted directly, since they are in different agreements, but could be due to the impact of cancelled flights.
When it comes to refunds or rescheduling in case the strike happens, the Airline Passenger Protections Regulations (APPR) say that labour disputes are out of the airline's control, so passengers could get refunded or rebooked, but will not be compensated.
The airline has 48 hours after the scheduled departure time to rebook passengers in the next available flight of their airline or any airlines they have partnerships with. If they can't do that in that time period, the passengers get to decide if they want to be refunded within 30 days or rebooked. Air Canada has a list of partner airlines on its website.
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