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Edmonton Journal
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Opinion: Ordering Air Canada workers back to work erodes the middle class
Article content Why should Canadians care about any of this? Put simply, they should care because the middle class is not a naturally occurring phenomenon. It depends on rules and legal frameworks that give workers bargaining power. And the key to working bargaining power is the right to strike. Without it, corporations and the rich will gobble up ever larger pieces of the economic pie and workers will only be left with crumbs. Article content Defending worker bargaining power is particularly urgent in the context of the current affordability crisis. No political party or government can legitimately say that they're on the side of working people if they don't have a plan to maintain or expand worker bargaining power. If they're doing the reverse — as is the case with Section 107 — then they're part of the problem, not the solution. Article content The fear among Canadian unions and workers is that if the Liberals get away with watering down the right to strike at the federal level (which has legislative responsibility for about 10 per cent of Canadian workplaces) it will only be a matter of time before provincial governments draft their own versions of Section 107 for provincially regulated workplaces. Article content Article content Workers and unions see this as an existential threat to the post-Second World War 'Great Compromise' which saw workers agree to swear off wildcat strikes in exchange for a regulated system of labour relations that promised fair outcomes for both workers and employers. This compromise was instrumental in building the broadly shared prosperity that helped create the Canadian middle class. Article content This is why Air Canada workers are defying the back-to-work order — and why others are promising to follow suit. If the system created by the Great Compromise no longer can be counted on to deliver fair outcomes for workers, why should workers respect it? Article content Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hadju says she's using Section 107 to secure 'labour peace.' The irony is that the continued use of this section in ways it was never intended is bringing about the opposite: the potential collapse of the Great Compromise. As workers from that era famously chanted from their wildcat picket lines: 'No justice, no peace.' Article content Article content If Prime Minister Carney really wants labour peace — and if he doesn't want to go down in history as the prime minister who weakened worker bargaining power at the worst possible time — then he needs to rescind the back-to-work order for Air Canada flight attendants and repeal Section 107. Article content Now is the time to remember and reinforce the Great Compromise, not abandon it. As the old saying goes: those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. For the sake of the Canadian middle class, let's try to avoid that mistake. Article content
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Air Canada suspends return to service until Monday
Air Canada said Sunday it was suspending its plans to return to work until Monday. The airline's decision follows a decision by the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents about 10,000 flight attendants, to defy an order by the Canadian Industrial Relations Board to return to work. 'The airline will resume flights as of (Monday) evening,' the company's statement said. On Friday, the CIRB ordered a resumption of air service by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, following a direction by Jobs Minister Patty Hadju. The minister also ordered the attendants to return to work. 'This order ended both CUPE's strike and the lockout Air Canada had imposed in response,' Air Canada said in the release. The shutdown affected about 240 flights, Air Canada said. Typically the carriers operate 700 flights a day. Meanwhile, the airline 'strongly advised' customers 'not to go the airport unless they have confirmed flights on other airlines.' 'Air Canada will offer those with cancelled flights options, including obtaining a full refund or receiving a credit for future travel. 'The carrier will also offer to rebook customers on other carriers, although capacity is currently limited due to the peak summer travel season.' Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz or PAL continue to operate as normal. Earlier in the day, Air Canada flight attendants said Sunday they intend to remain on strike in defiance of a back-to-work order. The Canadian Union of Public Employees said it will challenge an order by the Canada Industrial Relations Board to return to work by 2 p.m. ET. 'Our members are not going back to work,' CUPE national president Mark Hancock said outside the Toronto Airport. Hancock said the union received notice from the CIRB late Saturday, informing them of the impending return to work. He said the union felt the 'whole process has been unfair.' 'Air Canada has really refused to bargain with us, and they refused to bargain with us because they knew this government would come in on their white horse and try and save the day,' he said. The strike has left thousands of passengers stranded or struggling to find ways to reach their destinations. Air Canada said on Sunday that the CIRB has ordered the terms of the collective agreement between the union and the airline that expired on March 31 be extended until a new agreement is reached. The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents more than 10,000 flight attendants, has accused federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu of caving to Air Canada's demands. CUPE says it is inviting Air Canada back to the table to negotiate a fair deal. The union called for a 'day of action' on Sunday, with demonstrations planned outside of the Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary airports. Natasha Stea, the president of the local 4091 for flight attendants based in Montreal, said the workers supported defying the back-to-work order. 'I want to be very clear, Air Canada is choosing to do this to our passengers, to our company, because we are the face of the company, and they're trying to blame us for all this and getting together with their friends in the government to kind of circumvent all our rights,' she said at a demonstration outside the Toronto airport. She said workers are 'done being abused and exploited.' 'Where you have a multi-billion dollar company that's refusing to pay living wages to their employees, I just don't know.' CUPE originally announced its members were heading to the picket lines after being unable to reach an eleventh-hour deal with the airline, while Air Canada locked out its agents about 30 minutes later due to the strike action. The union has said its main sticking points revolve around wages that have been outpaced by inflation during its previous 10-year contract, along with unpaid labour when planes aren't in the air. Air Canada had previously asked Hajdu to order the parties to enter a binding arbitration process — a power granted to the minister through Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Air Canada and union ordered to bargaining table to end strike
The Canadian government has intervened in the Air Canada strike, forcing both parties to the bargaining table as hundreds of flights were cancelled this weekend. Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu ordered binding arbitration between the airline and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (Cupe), which represents more than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants, hours after a strike began on Saturday morning. "Despite significant supports from the government, these parties have been unable to resolve their differences in a timely manner," Hadju said in a statement, adding that "stability and supply chains" must be preserved. The country's largest carrier says the strike will affect around 500 flights a day. Hadju invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to bring the parties to the table. Cupe said Canada's Liberal Party was "violating our charter rights" and the intervention "sets a terrible precedent" in a statement on X. Air Canada said it had suspended all flights, including those under its budget arm Air Canada Rouge, and advised affected customers not to travel to the airport unless with a different airline. The airline said this would disrupt travel plans for around 130,000 passengers a day. Its flight attendants are calling for higher salaries and to be paid for work when aircraft are on the ground. The strike took effect at 00:58 EDT (04:58 GMT) on Saturday, though Air Canada began scaling back its operations before then. Flight attendants will picket at major Canadian airports, where passengers were trying to secure new bookings earlier in the week. What to know as Air Canada attendants strike Air Canada, which flies directly to 180 cities worldwide, said it had "suspended all operations" and that it was "strongly advising affected customers not to go to the airport". It added that Air Canada Jazz, PAL Airlines and Air Canada Express flights were unaffected. "Air Canada deeply regrets the effect the strike is having on customers," it said. By Friday night, the airline said it had cancelled 623 flights, affecting more than 100,000 passengers, as part of a winding down of operations ahead of the strike. In contract negotiations, the airline said it had offered flight attendants a 38% increase in total compensation over four years, with a 25% raise in the first year. Cupe said the offer was "below inflation, below market value, below minimum wage" and would still leave flight attendants unpaid for some hours of work, including boarding and waiting at airports ahead of flights. The union and the airline have publicly traded barbs about each other's willingness to reach an agreement. Earlier this month, 99.7% of employees represented by the union voted for a strike. Cupe has asserted that it had been negotiating in good faith for more than eight months, but that Air Canada instead sought government-directed arbitration. "When we stood strong together, Air Canada didn't come to the table in good faith," the union said in a statement to its members. "Instead, they called on the federal government to step in and take those rights away." Air Canada begins cancelling flights ahead of potential strike Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Air Canada is ordered to squash union conflict as passengers are left in limbo over hundreds of cancelled flights
The Canadian government has ordered Air Canada to squash its union conflict after tens of thousands of staff went on strike, grounding hundreds of flights and leaving passengers stranded. 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.
Toronto Star
31-05-2025
- Business
- Toronto Star
Canada Post asks government to force vote on their latest offer
Canada Post has asked the government to force the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) to have its members vote on their latest offer, according to a release sent out on Friday. The Crown corporation says it has asked Patty Hadju, federal minister of jobs and families, to use her authority under the Canadian Labour Code to call a vote, administered by the Canada Industrial Relations Board, on what management is calling their final offer, which was released two days ago.
