Air Canada is ordered to squash union conflict as passengers are left in limbo over hundreds of cancelled flights
Air Canada announced a full suspension of operations on Saturday as 10,000 flight attendants walked out amid a bitter contract dispute - a move expected to disrupt travel for 130,000 customers each day.
Hours into the strike, Jobs Minister Patty Hadju stepped in, ordering binding arbitration, a high-stakes legal process where a neutral third party delivers a final, non-negotiable decision both sides must accept.
The measure was imposed between Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents over 10,000 of the airline's flight attendants.
'It is disappointing to have to conclude today that Air Canada and CUPE flight attendants are at an impasse and remain unable to resolve their dispute,' Hadju said in a statement.
Hadju also noted that with massive delays stranding hundreds of travelers, the government felt compelled to intervene in order to protect the country's 'stability and supply chains' which are at risk from prolonged travel disruptions.
By invoking Section 107 of the Canada Labor Code, the government has compelled both sides back to the bargaining table to end the strike.
CUPE quickly responded on X, accusing Canada's Liberal Party of 'violating our charter rights' and warning that the government's intervention 'sets a terrible precedent'.
Jobs Minister Patty Hadju (pictured) stepped in, ordering binding arbitration - a high-stakes legal process where a neutral third party delivers a final, non-negotiable decision both sides must accept
The binding arbitration was imposed between Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents over 10,000 of the airline's flight attendants
'The Liberals have talked out of both sides of their mouths. They said the best place for this is at the bargaining table,' Wesley Lesosky, President of Air Canada Component of CUPE, said in the statement.
'They refused to correct this injustice through legislation,' he added.
'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 labor from underpaid flight attendants, while the company pulls in sky-high profits and extraordinary executive compensation.'
Air Canada - the country's largest airline - said the strike will disrupt around 500 flights daily, causing delays, cancellations, and other issues while it continues.
The feud escalated Friday, after the union turned down the airline's request to enter into government-directed arbitration, which would eliminate its right to strike and allow a third-party mediator to decide the terms of a new contract.
Canadian Union of Public Employees spokesman Hugh Pouliot confirmed the strike had started after no deal was reached and operations were halted shortly after.
Air Canada said it planned to begin locking flight attendants out of airports as the walkout commenced.
In a Saturday press release, the airline said the travel disruptions were 'necessary' after the union called a 72-hour strike demanding higher wages and pay for time spent working while planes are on the ground.
The airline said the travel disruptions were 'necessary' after the union called a 72-hour strike demanding higher wages and pay for time spent working while planes are on the ground (stock)
The industrial action started around 1am ET, instantly grounding all 700 daily flights the airline operates.
As of 10am, more than 13,000 Air Canada flights were delayed and 988 cancelled, according to FlightAware tracking data.
The airline 'strongly' advised passengers not to travel to the airport and doubled down on its commitment to 'negotiate the renewal of its collective agreement' with the union.
But travelers were outraged by the statement, arguing online that Air Canada is 'treating customers with total disdain' and 'refusing to take responsibility for its own shortcomings in labor relations'.
Others stood by the striking workers, demanding the airline pay flight attendants fairly.'
Air Canada and CUPE have been negotiating for about eight months but have yet to reach a tentative agreement, with both sides saying they remain far apart on key issues.
The airline's latest offer included a 38 percent increase in total compensation, including benefits and pensions over four years, that it said 'would have made our flight attendants the best compensated in Canada.'
But the union pushed back, saying the proposed 8 percent raise in the first year didn´t go far enough because of inflation.
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