Travellers stuck at Edmonton airport amid Air Canada strike
While Air Canada flight attendants continue to strike through the weekend, some travellers are in limbo at the Edmonton International Airport waiting for their flights to get rebooked.
The airline said flights would resume Sunday afternoon after a federal government return-to-work order was issued, but the Air Canada component of CUPE said it would not comply, leaving travellers stranded across the globe.
Hiab Berhane was supposed to be on a flight Sunday to Kuwait.
'It's been very worrying because we're not sure whether we're going to fly today or have to go home,' said Berhane. 'I respect them trying to get better money if they're not being paid well, so I'm not really upset about it, but it is slightly frustrating that it's affecting our trip.'
Chuck Schamel was headed to Toronto from Vancouver, but is stuck in Edmonton for two days because of the strike. He said it's been hectic trying to rebook his flight.
'It took hours to find an alternate airline because everybody in the world is trying to book with alternate airlines,' Schamel told CTV News Edmonton. 'I'm in favour of organized labour. I hate that they have to do it but I'm on board with it.'
Matthew Sullivan is one of 1,200 frisbee athletes who were in Edmonton for the Canadian Ultimate Championships. He and his eight team members are in limbo as they seek flights to Windsor.
'There are a lot of players that are stuck in Edmonton right now trying to find a flight home,' said Sullivan. 'We're just waiting it out – find a hotel, find an Airbnb – until things resolve and Air Canada contacts us.'
He said he hasn't heard from Air Canada at all.
'They're not sending messages whatsoever … more information would be great.'
Air Canada said flights will resume Monday.
But Brittany Thomas, the acting president of CUPE Local 4095 in Calgary, said they aren't backing down.
'We are not obligated to return our workers back to work,' said Thomas. 'At this point we have seen interference from the government and it is silencing our voice. We have a right to collective bargaining … we need a contract, not to be forced into arbitration.
'We don't want to have members who can't afford to live, can't afford to eat. They live in cars and are at the Food Bank. That is not okay.'
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Carletti and Calgary's Tyson Fedor.
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Global News
32 minutes ago
- Global News
Air Canada cancels plans to resume flights Sunday as union defies back-to-work order
Air Canada says it is cancelling hundreds of additional flights on Sunday after the union representing its flight attendants announced the workers would remain on strike in defiance of a back-to-work order. The Canadian Union of Public Employees said it will challenge an order by the Canada Industrial Relations Board to return to work by 2 p.m. ET. 'Our members are not going back to work,' CUPE National president Mark Hancock said outside Toronto's Pearson Airport. 'We are saying no.' Union members were picketing outside the airport's departures terminal on Sunday morning. In a statement on Sunday afternoon, the airline said CUPE 'illegally directed its flight attendant members to defy a direction' from the industrial relations board. As a result, Air Canada said it will plan to resume flights as of Monday evening. About 240 flights that were scheduled to take off on Sunday were cancelled. Story continues below advertisement The federal government said Saturday that it was ordering the airline and its flight attendants back to work, ending a strike and lockout after less than 12 hours. Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said she was invoking Section 107 of the Labour Code to ask the Canada Industrial Relations Board to send the two sides to binding arbitration. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Hajdu's office did not respond immediately to a request for comment about the union defying the back-to-work order on Sunday. Hancock said the union received notice from the CIRB late Saturday, informing them of the impending return to work. He said the union felt the 'whole process has been unfair.' 'Air Canada has really refused to bargain with us, and they refused to bargain with us because they knew this government would come in on their white horse and try and save the day,' he said. Air Canada said more than 700 Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights had been cancelled during the work stoppage as of Saturday. The strike has left thousands of passengers stranded or struggling to find ways to reach their destinations. The airline said it will offer people whose flights were cancelled options including a full refund, travel credit or rebooking on other carriers, though it noted that 'capacity is currently limited due to the peak summer travel season.' Story continues below advertisement Air Canada said on Sunday that the CIRB has ordered the terms of the collective agreement between the union and the airline that expired on March 31 be extended until a new agreement is reached. CUPE, which represents more than 10,000 flight attendants, has accused Hajdu of caving to Air Canada's demands. CUPE also said it is inviting Air Canada back to the table to negotiate a fair deal. The union called for a 'day of action' on Sunday, with demonstrations planned outside of the Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary airports. Natasha Stea, the president of the local 4091 for flight attendants based in Montreal, said the workers supported defying the back-to-work order. 'I want to be very clear, Air Canada is choosing to do this to our passengers, to our company, because we are the face of the company, and they're trying to blame us for all this and getting together with their friends in the government to kind of circumvent all our rights,' she said at a demonstration outside the Toronto airport. She said workers are 'done being abused and exploited.' 'Where you have a multi-billion dollar company that's refusing to pay living wages to their employees, I just don't know.' Story continues below advertisement CUPE originally announced its members were heading to the picket lines after being unable to reach an eleventh-hour deal with the airline, while Air Canada locked out its agents about 30 minutes later due to the strike action. The union has said its main sticking points revolve around wages that have been outpaced by inflation during its previous 10-year contract, along with unpaid labour when planes aren't in the air. Air Canada had previously asked Hajdu to order the parties to enter a binding arbitration process. Flights on Air Canada Express, operated by Jazz or Pal, were not affected by the strike.
Global News
41 minutes ago
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Air Canada union rejects binding arbitration as almost 300 flights axed
The union representing Air Canada's flight attendants has told Canada's jobs minister that the airline's request for binding arbitration should be rejected. 'The Air Canada Component of CUPE has respectfully urged Employment Minister Patty Hajdu not to intervene pursuant to section 107 of the Canada Labour Code thereby permitting collective bargaining to continue and allowing the parties to negotiate a resolution,' the union wrote in a statement. 'The Union submits that the appropriate course of action is for Air Canada to return to the table and resume good faith bargaining. Accordingly, Air Canada's request for ministerial intervention under section 107 should be firmly rejected.' 2:05 Air Canada asks for federal intervention to avoid imminent shutdown The rejection comes just an hour after the airline said on X it has cancelled 294 total flights, with 55,726 people impacted. Story continues below advertisement The airline's chief operations officer Mark Nasr said on Thursday he expected about 500 flights to be cancelled by end of day Friday, with a complete grounding as of Saturday morning. Hajdu's press secretary Jennifer Kozelj confirmed to Global News a response had been received. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'We thank the union for their response,' Kozelj wrote. 'We strongly urge the parties to work with federal mediators and get a deal done. Time's precious and Canadians are counting on you.' Both sides are less than 24 hours away from possible job action, with each having called on the other to return to negotiations. Air Canada executives defended their decision Thursday to request binding arbitration, saying they still want to reach a deal, but asked the government to consider intervening if negotiations or 'consensual arbitration' do not occur. The union, however, criticized the airline's move, saying it has called on the federal government to 'interfere with negotiations.' 2:44 Air Canada starts cancelling flights at Vancouver airport ahead of strike The looming strike also comes just as Canada Post was set to restart talks with its postal workers, also using federal mediators. Story continues below advertisement The Crown corporation said Friday that talks set for that day and Monday had been postponed to next Wednesday due to mediators being unavailable. In a statement announcing the postponement, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers said the Air Canada negotiations were having an impact. 'The Federal mediators will not be able to assist CUPW and CPC due to their current involvement in the Air Canada negotiations,' the union wrote. With the strike and lockout getting closer, business groups have raised concerns about how much impact such job action could have on the country. The Toronto Region Board of Trade said Friday that a complete shut down of Canada's largest airline would have 'broad-reaching economic consequences.' 'A disruptive work stoppage is occurring at precisely the moment when Canada is urgently seeking to reboot our economy and enhance our competitive position against mounting trade pressures,' Board of Trade chief executive Giles Gherson said in a statement. 'The economic stakes are higher than ever. Any slow down creates delay we cannot afford.' The Canadian Federation of Independent Business also sounded the alarm, telling The Canadian Press one-third of small business depend on the summer tourism season for their revenues and members 'cannot afford to lose a single day.' Story continues below advertisement Nasr said the cancellations before a strike or lockout has even begun are because 'sudden or unmanaged work stoppages produce a significantly worse disruption to travel than a planned suspension of flying.' Nasr added that cancelling over several days would allow for an 'orderly restart' when job action ends, 'which under the best circumstance will take a full week to complete.' According to the airline, about 130,000 travellers a day could be impacted during a strike. Those impacted by cancellations have been advised they'll receive a text message and email advising them of their cancellation. They will then be offered a complete refund or the option of potentially being booked on another airline to complete their trip. Air Canada said if a person cannot be rebooked, they will receive a refund.
Global News
42 minutes ago
- Global News
Union representing Air Canada flight attendants says strike will continue
See more sharing options Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook The union representing Air Canada flight attendants says its workers remain on strike despite a back-to-work order. The Canadian Union of Public Employees says it will challenge an order by the Canada Industrial Relations Board to return to work by 2 p.m. ET. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The federal government said Saturday that it was ordering the airline and its flight attendants back to work, ending a strike and lockout after less than 12 hours. Air Canada had planned to resume flights today after the federal government stepped in and ordered binding arbitration. The airline said more than 700 Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights have been cancelled during the work stoppage. CUPE says it is inviting Air Canada back to the table to negotiate a fair deal.
