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Air Canada flight attendants announce complete shut down as they strike over pay
Air Canada plans on cancelling flights due to a strike by flight attendants. Reuters
Air Canada's flight attendants went on strike Saturday, as the airline announced a complete shutdown of operations, creating summer travel chaos for its 130,000 daily passengers.'We are now officially on strike,' the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents Air Canada's 10,000 flight attendants, said in a statement.
Air Canada, which flies directly to 180 cities worldwide, said it had 'suspended all operations' in response to the work stoppage.
'Air Canada is strongly advising affected customers not to go to the airport,' it said, adding that it 'deeply regrets the effect the strike is having on customers.'
CUPE was in a legal position to strike as of 12:01 am (0401 GMT), after delivering a 72-hour strike notice on Wednesday. The strike began at 12:58 am, both sides confirmed.
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Air Canada had been gradually winding down operations ahead of the possible labor action.
As of 8:00 pm Friday, the airline said it had cancelled 623 flights affecting more than 100,000 passengers. Its full 700-flight daily schedule has been scrapped for Saturday.
Unpaid ground work
In addition to wage increases, the union says it wants to address uncompensated ground work, including during the boarding process.
Rafael Gomez, who heads the University of Toronto's Center for Industrial Relations, told AFP it is 'common practice, even around the world' to compensate flight attendants based on time spent in the air.
He said the union had built an effective communication campaign around the issue, creating a public perception of unfairness.
An average passenger, not familiar with common industry practice, could think, ''I'm waiting to board the plane and there's a flight attendant helping me, but they're technically not being paid for that work,'' he said, speaking before the strike began.
'That's a very good issue to highlight,' Gomez further said, adding that gains made by Air Canada employees could impact other carriers.
Air Canada detailed its latest offer in a Thursday statement, specifying that under the terms, a senior flight attendant would on average make CAN$87,000 ($65,000) by 2027.
CUPE has described Air Canada's offers as 'below inflation (and) below market value.'
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The union has also rejected requests from the federal government and Air Canada to resolve outstanding issues through independent arbitration.
Gomez said he did not expect any stoppage to last long.
'This is peak season,' he said.
'The airline does not want to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue… They're almost playing chicken with the flight attendants.'
Canada's economy, though showing resilience, has begun feeling the effects of President Donald Trump's trade war, with his tariffs hitting crucial sectors like auto, aluminum and steel.
In a statement issued before the strike began, the Business Council of Canada warned an Air Canada work stoppage could add further pain.
'At a time when Canada is dealing with unprecedented pressures on our critical economic supply chains, the disruption of national air passenger travel and cargo transport services would cause immediate and extensive harm to all Canadians,' it said.
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Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
Government forces Air Canada and flight attendants back to work and into arbitration
TORONTO (AP) — Canada's government forced Air Canada and its striking flight attendants back to work and into arbitration Saturday after a work stoppage stranded more than 100,000 travelers around the world during the peak summer travel season. Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said now is not the time to take risks with the economy, noting the unprecedented tariffs the U.S. has imposed on Canada. The intervention means the 10,000 flight attendants will return to work soon. The government's action came less than 12 hours after workers walked off the job. "The talks broke down. It is clear that the parties are not any closer to resolving some of the key issues that remain and they will need help with the arbitrator,' Hajdu said. Hajdu said the full resumption of services could take days, noting it is up to the Canada Industrial Relations Board. Meanwhile, Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada Component of the CUPE union, accused the government of violating the flight attendants' constitutional right to strike — and decried Hajdu for only waiting hours to intervene. 'The Liberal government is rewarding Air Canada's refusal to negotiate fairly by giving them exactly what they wanted,' Lesosky said. Air Canada did not immediately have additional comments when reached Saturday afternoon. With the timing of when the carrier will fully resume operations still up in the air, travelers could continue to face disruptions in the coming days. The shutdown of Canada's largest airline early Saturday is impacting about 130,000 people a day, and some 25,000 Canadians may be stranded. Air Canada operates around 700 flights per day. Hajdu ordered the Canada Industrial Relations Board to extend the term of the existing collective agreement until a new one is determined by the arbitrator. 'Canadians rely on air travel every day, and its importance cannot be understated,' she said. Union spokesman Hugh Pouliot didn't immediately know what day workers would return to work. 'We're on the picket lines until further notice,' he said. The bitter contract fight escalated Friday as the union turned down Air Canada's prior request to enter into government-directed arbitration, which allows a third-party mediator to decide the terms of a new contract. Air Canada Chief Operating Officer Mark Nasr has said it could take up to a week to fully restart operations. Flight attendants walked off the job around 1 a.m. EDT on Saturday. Around the same time, Air Canada said it would begin locking flight attendants out of airports. Ian Lee, an associate professor at Carleton University's Sprott School of Business, earlier noted the government repeatedly intervenes in transportation strikes. 'They will intervene to bring the strike to an end. Why? Because it has happened 45 times from 1950 until now,' Lee said. 'It is all because of the incredible dependency of Canadians.' Last year, the government forced the country's two major railroads into arbitration with their labor union during a work stoppage. The union for the rail workers is suing, arguing the government is removing a union's leverage in negotiations. The Business Council of Canada had urged the government to impose binding arbitration in this case, too. And the Canadian Chamber of Commerce welcomed the intervention. 'With valuable cargo grounded and passengers stranded, the government made the right decision to refer the two sides to binding arbitration," said Matthew Holmes, the executive vice president for the Chamber of Commerce — adding that 'close to a million Canadians and international visitors could be impacted" if it takes Air Canada a week to be fully operational again. Hajdu maintained that her Liberal government is not anti-union, saying it is clear the two sides are at an impasse. 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. The airline said it would also offer alternative travel options through other Canadian and foreign airlines when possible. Still, it warned that it could not guarantee immediate rebooking because flights on other airlines are already full 'due to the summer travel peak." Many travelers expressed frustration over Air Canada's response to the strike. Jean‐Nicolas Reyt, 42, said he had heard little from Air Canada just hours before his upcoming flight from France scheduled for Sunday. 'What's stressful is to not hear anything from Air Canada,' said Reyt, who is trying to return to Montreal, where he is an associate professor of organizational behavior at McGill University. He said he only received one email from the airline on Thursday warning of potential strike disruptions, but had no further information as of Saturday evening in Cannes, where he was visiting family. Reyt assumes his upcoming flight could be canceled — much like the scores of other lengthy disruptions this weekend. 'I'm just very surprised that Air Canada let it go this far,' he said. 'It's really a bit disheartening that they fly you somewhere abroad and then they just don't fly you back.' Jennifer MacDonald, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, expressed similar frustration. She has been trying to help her brother and cousin get home to Edmonton, Alberta since the second leg of their Air Canada trip was canceled during what was supposed to be a 1-hour layover in Montreal on Friday night. The two had to pay $300 out of their own pocket for a hotel, MacDonald said. All Saturday morning, they tried to look for rebooking options, but everything was sold out, she added. Eventually, they opted to book a new flight for Aug. 22 out of Halifax, with another family member volunteering to make an eight-hour drive to pick them up in Montreal and bring them back east on Saturday. 'It will be a multiday ordeal and a multi thousand dollar trip,' MacDonald said. But as stressful as the disruptions have been, she added that her family stands in solidarity with the flight attendants. 'We hope that Air Canada lifts the lockout and negotiates fairly.' Following the news of the Canadian government forcing arbitration on Saturday, Reyt also expressed concern for Air Canada's flight attendants. 'I think the flight attendants are making some reasonable arguments,' he said, adding that he hopes the intervention isn't "a way just to silence them.' Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees have been in contract talks for about eight months, but they have yet to reach a tentative deal. Both sides say they remain far apart on the issue of pay and the unpaid work flight attendants do when planes aren't in the air. 'We are heartbroken for our passengers. Nobody wants to see Canadians stranded or anxious about their travel plans but we cannot work for free," Natasha Stea, an Air Canada flight attendant and local union president, said before the government intervention was announced. The attendants are about 70% women. Stea said Air Canada pilots, who are male dominated, received a significant raise last year and questioned whether they are getting fair treatment. The airline's latest offer included a 38% 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% raise in the first year didn't go far enough because of inflation. ___ Grantham-Philips reported from New York. Airlines reporter Rio Yamat contributed to this report from Las Vegas.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Air Canada strike over for more than 100,000 travelers, 10,000 flight attendants? Here's the truth
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Canada's government forced Air Canada and its striking flight attendants back to work and into arbitration Saturday after a work stoppage stranded more than 100,000 travelers around the world during the peak summer travel season. Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said now is not the time to take risks with the economy, noting the unprecedented tariffs the U.S. has imposed on Canada. The intervention means the 10,000 flight attendants will return to work government's action came less than 12 hours after workers walked off the job. Hajdu said the full resumption of services could take days, noting it is up to the Canada Industrial Relations shutdown of Canada's largest airline early Saturday is impacting about 130,000 people a day, and some 25,000 Canadians may be stranded. Air Canada operates around 700 flights per ordered the Canada Industrial Relations Board to extend the term of the existing collective agreement until a new one is determined by the arbitrator.'Canadians rely on air travel every day, and its importance cannot be understated,' she Lesosky, president of the Air Canada Component of CUPE union, complained in a statement that Hajdu only waited a few hours to intervene and said the government has violated their constitutional right to strike.'The Liberal government is rewarding Air Canada's refusal to negotiate fairly by giving them exactly what they wanted,' he spokesman Hugh Pouliot didn't immediately know what day workers would return to work. 'We're on the picket lines until further notice,' he bitter contract fight between the airline and the union representing 10,000 of its flight attendants escalated Friday as 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 Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees have been in contract talks for about eight months, but they have yet to reach a tentative sides say they remain far apart on the issue of pay and the unpaid work flight attendants do when planes aren't in the air.'We are heartbroken for our passengers. Nobody wants to see Canadians stranded or anxious about their travel plans but we cannot work for free," Natasha Stea, an Air Canada flight attendant and local union president, said before the government intervention was attendants are about 70 per cent women. Stea said Air Canada pilots, who are male dominated, received a significant raise last year and questioned whether they are getting fair airline's latest offer included a 38% 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.'
Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Indian Express
Canadian government moves to end Air Canada strike
The Canadian government on Saturday moved to end a strike by Air Canada flight attendants, saying it needed to act now to prevent lasting economic damage. Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said she had asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to impose binding arbitration on both sides and order an immediate end to the dispute. 'I have exercised my authorities under Section 107 of the Canadian Labor Code to direct the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order the parties to resume and continue their operations and duties in order to secure industrial peace and protect the interests of Canada, Canadians and the economy,' she said.
