Air Canada strike chaos: Flight attendants defy tribunal, risk jail, and leave 500,000 passengers stranded worldwide
Union defies tribunal order
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents roughly 10,000 flight attendants, announced it would continue strike action until the airline addresses long-standing demands for wage increases and pay for unpaid ground duties, such as boarding. The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) earlier declared the strike unlawful, but CUPE has said members are prepared to face fines or jail. Union president Mark Hancock said, 'If it means folks like me going to jail, then so be it.'
Ongoing talks and mediation pressure
CUPE confirmed it met with Air Canada representatives and mediator William Kaplan in Toronto, though the strike continues. A government source suggested mediation might only move forward if crews first return to work. Employment Minister Patty Hajdu urged both sides to engage in mediation and also promised an investigation into allegations of unpaid ground work, a core issue for flight attendants.
This is HUGE:The Air Canada CEO just admitted on TV that he had no plan except for his SECRET BACKROOM DEAL WITH CARNEY to bust the strike using Section 107He and Carney assumed workers would roll overThey assumed wrong pic.twitter.com/v3iI9MFmvu
Airline offer vs union demands
Air Canada CEO defended the airline's proposal of a 38% increase in total compensation, telling Reuters there is still 'a big gap' with union expectations. CUPE maintains the proposal would only raise base wages by 17.2% over four years. Last week, Air Canada detailed that by 2027, a senior flight attendant would earn about CAN$87,000 annually. The union has rejected the offer as inadequate.
Impact on passengers
The strike has severely disrupted travel during the peak summer season. Air Canada, Canada's largest airline, normally carries 130,000 passengers daily as part of the Star Alliance network. Retiree Klaus Hickman, who rebooked on another airline after missing a flight, said he sympathised with the workers but worried about reaching Germany on time for health reasons. Others, like James Numfor from Regina, have been stranded in airports. Numfor, returning from Cameroon for a family funeral, said his family has been sleeping in Toronto's airport after the airline covered just one night in a hotel.
Wider labour reactions
Other unions have rallied behind CUPE. The Canadian Labour Congress, representing 3 million workers, said it is prepared to offer legal and financial support. 'All cards are on the table in terms of what unions are prepared to do,' said president Bea Bruske. The Air Line Pilots' Association also voiced solidarity, encouraging pilots to join picket lines in their free time.
Government response
Prime Minister Mark Carney described the breakdown in negotiations as 'disappointing,' noting that eight months of talks had failed to resolve key issues. He acknowledged the vital role of flight attendants but pointed to the uncertainty facing hundreds of thousands of travelers. The government has limited options, including court enforcement of the tribunal's order or passing back-to-work legislation when Parliament resumes on September 15.
Flight attendants on the line in Winnipeg. They have been joined by Westjet workers.Unpaid work has got to go!#aircanadastrike #UnpaidWorkWontFly pic.twitter.com/8SwO7UIZzC
Employers' concerns
The strike has also drawn criticism from employer groups. Daniel Safayeni, president of Federally Regulated Employers - Transportation and Communications (Fetco), said defying the order undermines the country's labour system. 'That is not labour relations, it's a reckless path that erodes trust in the system, weakens our global reputation, and undermines economic stability,' he said.
Standoff continues
With mediation uncertain, government pressure increasing, and unions refusing to back down, Air Canada's labour dispute has become a test case for organized labour in the country. For now, passengers remain stranded, and the strike continues without resolution.
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Time of India
13 hours ago
- Time of India
Air Canada strike ends; pay deal and other issues that saw flights in the skies
Air Canada and its flight attendants' union, CUPE, reached a tentative agreement on Tuesday, ending a four-day strike that impacted over 500,000 passengers. The deal includes ground pay for pre-flight duties and immediate pay hikes, addressing key union demands. While the agreement awaits ratification, Air Canada cautions that restoring full service may take up to ten days. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Key terms of the tentative deal Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Ground Pay for Pre-Flight Duties: Flight attendants will now receive at least 60 minutes of ground pay before each flight, starting at 50 per cent of their hourly rate, with that rate rising 5 per cent each year. This provision ends years of unpaid work during boarding and waiting times. Immediate Pay Hikes: Staff with five years or less of service will get an immediate 12 per cent raise, while those with longer tenure will receive 8 per cent. Structured Salary Increases: Over the following years, salaries will continue to rise by 3 per cent in the second year, 2.5 per cent in the third, and 2.75 per cent in the fourth. How is it implemented elsewhere? Why flight attendants went on strike Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Escalation and government pressure Air Canada flights resumed on Tuesday, August 19 after the airline and the union representing its flight attendants reached a tentative pay agreement, ending a nearly four-day strike that disrupted travel for more than 500,000 Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents more than 10,000 flight attendants, announced the breakthrough early Tuesday, nine hours after mediated talks began. The agreement is subject to ratification by union airline has cautioned that restoring full service will take seven to ten days due to aircraft and crew being out of position. Some flights will still be cancelled until the schedule to CBC News, the agreement secures two major wins for flight attendants:As per the BBC, the deal has not been fully disclosed, although the union said it achieves "transformational change" for workers and the to the non-profit Angus Reid Institute, Air Canada flight attendants are only paid once a flight is in the air, leaving them uncompensated for boarding, safety checks, delays, and deplaning. CUPE, the union representing attendants, argues this amounts to an average of 35 hours of unpaid work per airline has proposed compensating ground duties at 50 per cent of the regular hourly rate, but the union insists on 100 per News reports that some Canadian carriers, like Porter Airlines and Pascan Aviation, already compensate flight attendants for boarding duties or pay full salary for ground the US, Delta introduced boarding pay in 2022, while recent labour agreements at American Airlines and Alaska Airlines require payment to begin at boarding. United Airlines crews are pushing for similar provisions after rejecting a tentative strike began on Saturday, August 16, after CUPE rejected Air Canada's initial contract offer, which the union said was 'below inflation, below market value, below minimum wage.'The airline's proposal did not address unpaid hours, leaving attendants uncompensated for several tasks outside their flying than 10,000 staff walked out, grounding hundreds of flights and stranding passengers across Canada and internationally. Air Canada typically operates around 700 flights a dispute escalated when the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ruled the strike 'unlawful'. CUPE refused, accusing the government of 'caving to corporate pressure.'Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu also said in an X statement that she was glad the two sides could work out a deal Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was "relieved" to hear about the agreement. In an X statement, he said, "It is my hope that this will ensure flight attendants are compensated fairly at all times, while ending disruption for hundreds of thousands of Canadian families, workers, and visitors to Canada".
Hindustan Times
21 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Air Canada reaches deal with flight attendant union to end strike; to resume ops soon
Air Canada said it will gradually restart operations after reaching an agreement early on Tuesday with the union for 10,000 flight attendants to end a strike that disrupted the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of travelers. The Canada Industrial Relations Board had declared the strike illegal Monday and ordered the flight attendants back on the job.(AFP) The agreement came after Canada's biggest airline and the union resumed talks late Monday for the first time since the strike began over the weekend, affecting about 130,000 travelers a day at the peak of the summer travel season. Air Canada said flights will start resuming at 4 p.m. ET. Flight attendants walked off the job early Saturday after turning down the airline's request to enter into government-directed arbitration, which allows a third-party mediator to decide the terms of a new contract. The union said the agreement will guarantee members pay for work performed while planes are on the ground, resolving one of the major issues that drove the strike. 'Unpaid work is over. We have reclaimed our voice and our power," the union said in a statement. 'When our rights were taken away, we stood strong, we fought back — and we secured a tentative agreement that our members can vote on.' Chief executive Michael Rousseau said restarting a major carrier is a complex undertaking and said regular service may require seven to 10 days. Some flights will be canceled until the schedule is stabilized. 'Full restoration may require a week or more, so we ask for our customers' patience and understanding over the coming days,' Rousseau said in a statement. The two sides reached the deal with the help of a mediator early Tuesday morning. The airline said mediation discussions 'were begun on the basis that the union commit to have the airline's 10,000 flight attendants immediately return to work.' Air Canada declined to comment further on the agreement until the ratification process is complete. It noted a strike or lockout is not possible during this time. The carrier said it plans to complete about half Tuesday's scheduled flights, with a focus on international outbounds. The ramp-up will begin on Wednesday morning for mainline North American routes. Earlier, Air Canada said rolling cancellations would extend through Tuesday afternoon after the union defied a second return-to-work order. The Canada Industrial Relations Board had declared the strike illegal Monday and ordered the flight attendants back on the job. But the union said it would defy the directive. Union leaders also ignored a weekend order to submit to binding arbitration and end the strike by Sunday afternoon. The board is an independent administrative tribunal that interprets and applies Canada's labor laws. The government ordered the board to intervene. Labor leaders objected to the Canadian government's repeated use of a law that cuts off workers' right to strike and forces them into arbitration, a step the government took in recent years with workers at ports, railways and elsewhere. 'Your right to vote on your wages was preserved,' the union said in a post on its website. Air Canada operates around 700 flights per day. The airline estimated Monday that 500,000 customers would be affected by flight cancellations. Aviation analytics firm Cirium said that as of Monday afternoon, Air Canada had called off at least 1,219 domestic flights and 1,339 international flights since last Thursday, when the carrier began gradually suspending its operations ahead of the strike and lockout that began early Saturday. Toronto's Pearson International Airport, Canada's largest, said it will deploy additional staff to assist passengers and support startup operations. 'I am relieved that Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees have reached a tentative agreement early this morning,' Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement. 'It is my hope that this will ensure flight attendants are compensated fairly at all times, while ending disruption for hundreds of thousands of Canadian families, workers, and visitors to Canada.' Passengers whose flights are impacted will be eligible to request a full refund on the airline's website or mobile app, according to Air Canada.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Air Canada and flight attendants reach tentative deal; passengers warned full service will take a week
Air Canada reached a tentative agreement early Tuesday(August 19) with the union representing its flight attendants, ending a three-day strike that had disrupted air travel nationwide and stranded nearly half a million passengers. The airline said it will begin ramping up operations immediately, though full service is expected to take more than a week to restore. Talks continued through the night with a federal mediator, culminating in an agreement around 4:30 am. ET, according to statements from both Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees ( CUPE ). The deal covers more than 10,000 flight attendants and will be put to a ratification vote in the coming weeks. The strike began Saturday morning, grounding Air Canada's mainline fleet and forcing the cancellation of thousands of flights. While the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) declared the job action unlawful under Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code and ordered attendants back to work on Sunday, union officials initially defied the ruling. CUPE leaders argued that the law violated workers' Charter rights, calling the government's intervention heavy-handed. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like After 51 Cruises, A Retired Couple's Laundry Stains Caught The Staff Daily Sport X Undo By Monday evening, however, both sides had returned to the bargaining table, setting the stage for a breakthrough after 72 hours of escalating tension. Union secures key concessions Live Events At the heart of the dispute was what attendants described as 'unpaid work': time spent boarding passengers, performing safety checks, and waiting on tarmacs before takeoff. The union confirmed the tentative agreement eliminates that practice, which it described as 'transformational change' for the industry. In a message to members, CUPE said on its website, 'Your right to vote on your wages was preserved. Unpaid work is over.' The union framed the outcome as both a labor and constitutional victory, claiming it demonstrated that Section 107 can no longer be wielded by employers to bypass fair bargaining. Airline begins recovery phase Air Canada said it operated its first mainline departures around 4 pm. ET Tuesday and planned to complete about 53 percent of scheduled flights by day's end, focusing on international outbound routes. Domestic and North American services are expected to ramp up 'in earnest' on Wednesday. The airline estimated more than 500,000 passengers were affected during the stoppage. To manage the backlog, it has expanded its customer support operation to 5,000 employees and broadened rebooking policies. Travelers can request refunds, apply credits, or be rebooked on up to 120 partner or competitor airlines. Air Canada has also extended its rebooking window to seven days, more than double its standard policy. What's next Air Canada faces the dual challenge of repairing strained customer trust and navigating a critical ratification vote. CUPE leaders urged members to endorse the deal, but final approval is not guaranteed until ballots are counted. Only those with confirmed bookings on operating flights should go to the airport, as cancellations will persist during the recovery period.
