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National Post
11-08-2025
- Business
- National Post
How much work are Air Canada flight attendants not getting paid for?
Air Canada flight attendants were planning to picket at airports in four major Canadian cities on Monday in what the union is calling a national day of action. Article content The Canadian Union of Public Employees said demonstrations were set for Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Vancouver International Airport and Calgary International Airport, all at 1 p.m. ET. Article content Article content Among the issues, CUPE said, is that flight attendants are paid only for 'block time,' which begins at takeoff and lasts until landing. The union said attendants are spending time performing 'unpaid duties' during ground time before and after flights. Article content Article content In a briefing note released this month, CUPE noted: 'Flight attendants at Air Canada are required to perform unpaid duties every day before and after flights. This includes critical safety checks, boarding and deplaning procedures, assisting passengers with special needs, and preparing the cabin.' Article content It concludes: 'Flight attendants are not paid for a significant portion of their time on the job,' and notes that the safety-related duties are not optional, as they are mandated by Transport Canada. Article content How much time are we talking? Article content A 2023 survey of Canadian flight attendants from CUPE's Airline Division found that they performed unpaid work for 34.86 hours per month, on average — the equivalent of almost one full work week per month. Article content Article content The survey, which ran between Dec. 10, 2022, and Jan. 11, 2023, received 9,807 responses. Article content Article content 'Unpaid work is a dirty secret in this industry, and one we are determined to stamp out,' said Wesley Lesosky, President of CUPE's Airline Division, at the time. 'The bottom line is, if we're on the jobsite, in our uniforms, performing work duties then we should be getting paid — full stop.' Article content It adds: 'This model had also been used in previous contracts dating back many years. Air Canada's approach to flight attendant compensation, including for ground time, is consistent with that at most global carriers. In fact, CUPE reached a new contract with a large Canadian carrier in 2024 that uses this same approach.' Article content That would be the agreement between CUPE and Air Transat, which gave flight attendants at that airline a 30 per cent pay increase over the five years of the contract. It did not, however, address ground time and block time. 'The issue of ground time is discussed with the union as part of a more general conversation about overall compensation,' the airline said. Article content Do other airlines pay for ground time? Article content Most do not. However, in 2022 Delta Air Lines began paying its flight attendants at half their hourly rate for a set 40 to 50 minutes of boarding, depending on the type of aircraft and where it's headed, according to NPR. Delta is the only major U.S. airline whose flight attendants are not unionized, and the broadcaster suggested the move might be an effort by the airline to discourage unionizing. Article content After Delta's decision, American Airlines and its union also agreed to a similar plan. Article content What does Pierre Poilievre have to say on the issue? Article content The leader of the Conservative Party of Canada wrote a letter last week to Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario. In it, he called on her to amend the Canada Labour Code 'to require that federally regulated airlines pay flight attendants for all hours they are on duty, not just time spent on the air.' Article content This would effectively circumvent the union negotiations and also require other airlines in Canada to make similar payments to their flight attendants. 'No other federally regulated worker would accept being on the job without being paid,' Poilievre noted. Article content Flight attendants work long before takeoff and after landing — and deserve to be paid for it. Shadow Minister for Labour @kyleseeback and I are calling on the Carney Liberals to fix this unfair system and ensure fair pay for every minute on the job. — Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) August 6, 2025 Article content
National Post
11-08-2025
- Business
- National Post
Air Canada flight attendants expected to picket at 4 major airports today
Air Canada flight attendants are expected to picket at airports in four major Canadian cities on Monday in what their union is calling a national day of action. Article content The Canadian Union of Public Employees says demonstrations are expected to take place at Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Vancouver International Airport and Calgary International Airport, all at 1 p.m. ET. Article content Article content CUPE says the Air Canada component of the union was set to return to bargaining talks with the airline on Friday after its members voted 99.7 per cent in favour of a strike mandate. Article content The vote, which wrapped last Tuesday, means flight attendants could possibly walk off the job as soon as Aug. 16 at 12:01 a.m. with at least 72 hours' notice provided. Article content The two sides have been in contract talks since the beginning of the year and the strike mandate comes after the airline and union concluded a conciliation process without reaching a deal. Article content In a statement released last Tuesday, Air Canada said it believes there's still time to get a deal done and avoid interrupting the plans of thousands of travellers. Article content The airline also said it's 'determined to reach a fair and equitable collective agreement that recognizes the contributions of its flight attendants and supports the competitiveness and long-term growth of the company.' Article content The negotiations concern flight attendants working for Air Canada's main operations, as well as for Air Canada Rouge. Article content
Yahoo
11-08-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
In the news today: Air Canada flight attendants picketing at airports
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed... Air Canada flight attendants picketing at airports Air Canada flight attendants are expected to picket at airports in four major Canadian cities in what their union is calling a national day of action. The Canadian Union of Public Employees says demonstrations are expected to take place at Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Vancouver International Airport and Calgary International Airport, all at 1 p.m. ET. CUPE says it is looking to raise awareness about what it calls 'poverty wages' and unpaid labour when working on a plane when it's not in the air. CUPE says the Air Canada component of the union was set to return to bargaining talks with the airline on Friday after its members voted 99.7 per cent in favour of a strike mandate. The vote, which wrapped last Tuesday, means flight attendants could possibly walk off the job as soon as Aug. 16 at 12:01 a.m. with at least 72 hours' notice provided. Here's what else we're watching... Heat warnings issued throughout Canada Another day of punishing heat and humidity is expected to hit Ontario, Quebec and the four Atlantic provinces. A heat warning from Environment Canada remains in effect for all of southern Ontario, stretching north past Lake Huron and Georgian Bay and east through southern Quebec. Expected daytime highs could reach 35 degrees Celsius in some parts, with the humidex at or near 40 C. Hot conditions are also washing over Atlantic Canada, with most of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and parts of Newfoundland and Labrador also under a heat warning. In British Columbia, heat warnings are also in place for most of Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, as well as southern B-C's Fraser Canyon, South Thompson and South Okanagan areas. Ruling on appeal of Sask. pronoun law challenge The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal is expected to rule today on the province's appeal of a decision to allow a challenge of its school pronoun law. A judge ruled last year that the court challenge could continue, despite the government's use of the notwithstanding clause. The law, which came into force in 2023, requires parental consent if children under 16 want to change their names or pronouns at school. Lawyers for the LGBTQ+ group UR Pride brought forward the challenge, arguing the law causes irreparable harm to gender diverse youth and its case should move ahead. The government has argued its use of the notwithstanding clause to bring the law into force should end the court challenge. Public servant elected as MP for Trois-Rivières Out of the many federal public servants who ran as candidates in the last federal election, only one was elected: Caroline Desrochers, the Liberal member of Parliament for Trois-Rivières, Que. Originally from Montreal, Desrochers worked at Global Affairs Canada for almost 25 years; her first posting was in Haiti. She later worked for about a decade on Canada-U.S. relations and was posted to New York during U.S. President Donald Trump's first mandate. "I always knew one day I would want to do that," Desrochers said of entering politics, adding that she was interested in doing work that felt closer to people. Desrochers ran for the Liberals in the La Prairie riding in 2021 but was defeated by Bloc Québécois candidate Alain Therrien. Desrochers said her experience in dealing with the Americans on steel and aluminum tariffs and her outreach with the U.S. Congress will be valuable in this "consequential" moment. Study maps 'megathrust' quake zone off B.C. coast Scientists have captured the first detailed images of the meeting of two tectonic plates off the coast of northern British Columbia, an area they say has the potential to generate the largest "megathrust" earthquakes and tsunamis. The images confirm what appears to be a rare geological occurrence, a subduction zone in its "infancy," the study by U.S. and Canadian researchers shows. The paper, in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances, says the Queen Charlotte plate boundary features the beginnings of such a zone, where one plate slides under the other. The plate boundary that extends from the southern tip of Haida Gwaii to southeast Alaska was the site of Canada's two largest earthquakes in recent history — a magnitude-8.1 quake in 1949 and the magnitude-7.8 quake in 2012. Co-author Michael Bostock, a professor in the department of earth, ocean and atmospheric sciences at the University of B.C., says it's likely the area will see more "thrust" quakes, and the next one could be larger as the fault grows. This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 11, 2025. The Canadian Press
Yahoo
11-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Air Canada flight attendants picketing at 4 major airports on national day of action
TORONTO — Air Canada flight attendants are expected to picket at airports in four major Canadian cities on Monday in what their union is calling a national day of action. The Canadian Union of Public Employees says demonstrations are expected to take place at Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Vancouver International Airport and Calgary International Airport, all at 1 p.m. ET. CUPE says it is looking to raise awareness about what it calls 'poverty wages' and unpaid labour when working on a plane when it's not in the air. CUPE says the Air Canada component of the union was set to return to bargaining talks with the airline on Friday after its members voted 99.7 per cent in favour of a strike mandate. The vote, which wrapped last Tuesday, means flight attendants could possibly walk off the job as soon as Aug. 16 at 12:01 a.m. with at least 72 hours' notice provided. The two sides have been in contract talks since the beginning of the year and the strike mandate comes after the airline and union concluded a conciliation process without reaching a deal. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2025. The Canadian Press Sign in to access your portfolio
Bloomberg
16-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Montreal Airport Plans $7.3 Billion Revamp With Government Backing
Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport will spend as much as C$10 billion ($7.3 billion) over the next decade to modernize and expand its facilities. The Canada Infrastructure Bank said it will lend C$1 billion to support Aeroports de Montreal, the company that manages the airport. The upgrades include new access roads, a building to connect the airport terminal with a transit line, taxiways, tarmacs, and passenger processing areas.
