Chaos erupts at Pearson Airport as flight attendants defy Ottawa's back-to-work order
Chaos has erupted at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Sunday as the union representing Air Canada flight attendants says they will 'remain on strike' and defy Ottawa's back-to-work order.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) called the order 'unconstitutional' and urged Air Canada to return to the bargaining table to negotiate a 'fair deal.'
The defiance comes hours after Air Canada announced plans to gradually resume flights on Sunday evening, signalling more days of turmoil ahead for travellers.
As of 10:30 a.m. ET, hundreds of CUPE members gathered outside Toronto's Pearson Airport, waving signs and chanting, 'Hey, hey, ho, ho, unpaid work has got to go.'
The picket lines underscored the union's demand for higher wages and compensation for unpaid time worked during ground delays — issues that CUPE says have been ignored through more than a decade of contracts.
This is a breaking news story, more details to come...
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vancouver Sun
2 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Air Canada strikers dig in against order: 'Can't fire us all'
(Bloomberg) — An Air Canada union wants to 'dismantle' a process the government is using to end strikes, a representative said after flight attendants defied an order to return to work on Sunday. 'If we stick together, they can't fire us all,' Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada Component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees that represents more than 10,000 cabin crew, said in a public video call late on Sunday. 'The large national union behind us is fully supporting us for our cause, fully supporting the dismantling of the 107 process.' That's a reference to Section 107, the legal clause the government used to try and stop a walkout over pay which froze operations at Canada's largest airline. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The strike since Saturday disrupts a crucial mode of transport for some communities across the world's second-largest country by area. The company estimated some 130,000 passengers a day were affected during the peak summer holiday season. On Saturday, the labor minister directed the independent Canada Industrial Relations Board to order the company and workers to resume operations, extend their collective agreement and impose binding arbitration to reach a new deal. The union defied that order to go back to work by 2 p.m. Sunday, forcing Air Canada to delay a plan to restart operations during the weekend. The Montreal-based carrier now plans to resume operations 4 p.m. Toronto time Monday, Lesosky said. Read: Air Canada Delays Resuming Flights as Strikers Defy Stop Order On Sunday night it was not clear how the labor board, government or company would seek to enforce the order. A hearing about whether the action is an illegal strike was being heard in front of the CIRB on Sunday night, Lesosky said. The labor board could determine this during the hearing itself, a union spokesman said by phone. 'We are here ready to bargain,' Lesosky said, adding that there's no agreement with the company on so-called ground pay, a key part of the dispute because attendants are currently only paid once planes are in the air. 'We're not willing to accept binding arbitration ordered and rammed down our throat,' he said. 'Our priority is our passengers and we regret very deeply the impact this illegal labor action is having on them,' an Air Canada spokesman said. The CIRB did not respond to a request for comment.
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Travellers stuck at Edmonton airport amid Air Canada strike
Air Canada workers are seen striking at the Calgary International Airport on Aug. 17, 2025. (CTV News Calgary) 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.
CBC
4 hours ago
- CBC
Uncertainty continues for Sask. travellers caught in Air Canada labour dispute
Saskatchewan Air Canada passengers continued to face uncertainty and confusion on Sunday as more flights out of Regina and Saskatoon were cancelled. Air Canada announced it was suspending plans to restart operations across the country on Sunday night after the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) directed its flight attendants to defy the return-to-work order put in place by Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu on Saturday. The airline said it now plans to resume flight operations on Monday night. In Ontario on Saturday, passengers who had received notice that their flights were cancelled still showed up to Toronto Pearson International Airport in search of information from Air Canada about alternative options. Tanya Baron said while fighting back tears that her family was trying to get home to Saskatoon and airline staff had yet to provide them with rebooking options and gave her the runaround. "They send us here, they send us there. They tell us to call a number, where no human ever answers. I get hung up on. They tell us to check the website. There's just no flights and no way to get home," Baron said at Pearson Airport. 'Sympathy for both parties,' says passenger At the Regina International Airport, an Air Canada Jazz flight that operates under a different contract not affected by the strike did leave for Vancouver on Sunday afternoon. Greg Stoll, who was on the Vancouver flight, said he understood the concerns of the flight attendants but the country's largest airline can't be paralyzed by an extended strike. "I have sympathy for both parties," he said. "I can understand some of their needs, and ones of the union, but in the same token I understand the importance of having a national airline. "I'm OK with them going back to work as long as they continue talking and have a good contract at the end of the day." Becky Hoffart, whose sister was also on the Vancouver-bound flight, said her own experiences with unions as a nurse made her sympathetic to the flight attendants, and the politics of striking. "I support the union, but it's also a shame that it has to come to this and that they weren't able to resolve it before it did," she said. "They deserve a living wage and they deserve to be paid for their time. "If they are able to get a contract, it's worth it. If it's not, it's just super frustrating that the employer can't cough up some cash."
