Air Canada strike begins as flight attendants walk off the job
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Global News
10 minutes ago
- Global News
Air Canada passengers left scrambling as strikes keep flights grounded
Air travellers across the country continued dealing with hundreds of grounded planes on Saturday as the federal government announced it was ordering a binding arbirtration in a labour strife between Air Canada and its 10,000 flight attendants on strike. Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said hours after the flight attendants initiated the strike just before 1 a.m. ET that she has also directed the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order both parties to resume operations. Though, she added, it could take between five to ten days for regular services to resume. But in Ontario, 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 was giving her the runaround. Story continues below advertisement '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. 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 Noel Nemeth, who was hoping to fly back home to Edmonton, said he also hasn't gotten any answers on how he's getting home. 'Patience is a virtue I guess,' he said. 'I just have to wait until we can figure something out.' Sandra Caputi, who was flying home to Thunder Bay, Ont., after spending a few weeks in Greece, was one of the lucky ones to grab a competitor flight from Porter at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to take her home. 'I asked probably about 10 different people until I got the answer I wanted,' she said. In Montreal, Bonnie Bradley says with no options available until Wednesday, she decided to book a car and drive home to Winnipeg after spending a 10-day holiday in Newfoundland. 'We're booking a car and driving home,' she said in an interview at Montreal's Trudeau International Airport. She spent a night at a hotel on her own dime in Montreal after a return flight arrived late. Story continues below advertisement Dmytro Okopmyi, who is trying to get back to Halifax after spending a few days in Toronto with his partner, also said the airline hasn't offered any options to rebook. Even if he takes the option to refund his ticket and finds a new flight online, he said he's worried that the cost to book a new last-minute ticket will be way more than the refund he's owed. 'They tell us we can get a refund (for our tickets) which would probably be $200, but to buy new tickets is probably going to cost around $1,800,' he said. Air Canada cancelled more than 600 flights over the past two days in preparation for a potential work stoppage
National Post
10 minutes ago
- National Post
"This government is anti-union and anti-worker": CUPE NS Denounces Use of Bill 107
Article content HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — CUPE Nova Scotia strongly condemns the federal government's decision to interfere in workers' right to collective bargaining and job action by invoking Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code. Article content 'Clearly, this government is anti-union and anti-worker,' said Alan Linkletter, CUPE Nova Scotia President. 'Forcing workers back on the job instead of supporting free and fair collective negotiations directly contradictions workers' rights that are guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.' Article content Air Canada has asked the government to crush striking workers' Charter rights, and Federal Labour minister Patty Hajdu is ready to deliver. Hajdu announced that the federal government will be invoking Section 107 at a press conference this afternoon, citing the financial welfare of Canadians and the economy at large as a deciding factor for this decision. Article content 'She says this move is for the financial security of Canadians—are these workers not Canadians? Does their welfare not matter? How can you be financially secure when you don't even get paid for all of the hours you work?' Article content Contrary to the Minister's remarks, this will not ensure labour peace in Canada. This will only push this fight onto the next group of workers in negotiations, while Air Canda's flight attendants continue to work for a billion-dollar company for free. Article content Flight attendants are only paid when the plane is moving, and work as many as 35 unpaid hours a month performing vital duties that ensure the safe and smooth operation of each flight. Now, instead of paying flight attendants for all the hours they work, Air Canada has clearly sought help from the federal government to continue exploiting their employees. Article content 'Minister Hajdu's comments indicate a clear lack of respect for workers' rights,' said Sherry Hillier, President of CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador and National General Vice President for Atlantic Canada. 'By using Section 107 to force workers back on the job yet again, they're setting a pattern. And that pattern is that Liberals don't care about Canadians.' Article content Recent polling data indicates that 9 out of 10 Canadians support Air Canada flight attendants' fight for fair pay. Article content CUPE represents over 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants across the country, and workers have been demonstrating at Halifax Stanfield International Airport since 6AM. Article content 'Messages of support have been pouring in for these workers from across the country,' continued Linkletter. 'Canadians stand with us. Our elected representatives should, too.' Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Sherry Hillier President, CUPE Newfoundland & Labrador National General Vice President, CUPE Atlantic and Maritimes regions 709-765-2996
National Post
10 minutes ago
- National Post
CUPE: Liberals reward Air Canada's refusal to bargain fairly by crushing flight attendants' Charter rights
Article content TORONTO — Air Canada asked the government to crush underpaid flight attendants' Charter rights, and Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu only waited a few hours to deliver. The Liberal government has invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to end a strike by Air Canada flight attendants fighting to end unpaid work and poverty wages. Article content 'The Liberals have talked out of both sides of their mouths. They said the best place for this is at the bargaining table. They refused to correct this historic injustice through legislation,' said Wesley Lesosky, President of the Air Canada Component of CUPE. Article content Article content 'Now, when we're at the bargaining table with an obstinate employer, the Liberals are violating our Charter rights to take job action and give Air Canada exactly what they want — hours and hours of unpaid labour from underpaid flight attendants, while the company pulls in sky-high profits and extraordinary executive compensation.' Article content CUPE came to the table with data-driven and reasonable proposals for a fair cost-of-living wage increase and an end to forced unpaid labour. Air Canada responded by sandbagging the negotiations. The Liberal government is rewarding Air Canada's refusal to negotiate fairly by giving them exactly what they wanted. Article content This sets a terrible precedent. Contrary to the Minister's remarks, this will not ensure labour peace at Air Canada. This will only ensure that the unresolved issues will continue to worsen by kicking them down the road. Nor will it ensure labour peace in this industry — because unpaid work is an unfair practice that pervades nearly the entire airline sector, and will continue to arise in negotiations between flight attendants and other carriers. Article content Article content Article content Article content
