Latest news with #labordispute
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Air Canada flight attendants start voting on strike mandate
An Air Canada jet is manoeuvred on the tarmac at the airport, Wednesday, Nov.15, 2023 in Vancouver. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld MONTREAL — Air Canada flight attendants start voting today on whether to give a strike mandate to their union. The vote, running through to Aug. 5, comes after the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees concluded the conciliation process with no deal reached. The union represents more than 10,000 flight attendants who have been in contract talks for more than seven months. Air Canada acknowledged the vote, saying it was a normal step in the negotiation process and does not mean a disruption will take place. It noted that a strike can't take place until after a 21-day cooling-off period after the 60-day conciliation period has expired. The union says that despite sustained efforts, including in the conciliation process with a federally-appointed mediator, key issues such as pay, unpaid work and pensions remain unresolved. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
United's glitzy business class reveal overshadowed by crew protest exposing airline's dirty laundry
United Airlines flight attendants have made it clear that they're looking for new contracts rather than a new business class. About a dozen uniformed cabin crew protested their contracts at a company event in New York on Tuesday celebrating the launch of its new luxury seats. The protesters were chanting for new contracts, and requested that the company be 'shut down' if it doesn't provide them. The protest highlighted a growing labor dispute at the airline. United has not offered raises to its flight attendants in five years, and contracts became amendable in 2021. Talks have dragged on, sparking multiple demonstrations this year. At the event on Tuesday, security stepped in and ordered the protestors to leave immediately. One of them accused a cabin member of trespassing. The airline has not confirmed the status of these employees, but the video poster claimed they were 'removed from service pending investigations.' The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) has voiced its frustration over the matter for months. The event included United's unveiling of new luxury seats being added to select flights by the end of the year One of the organization's local council presidents, Scott Pejas, led a protest back in March. 'We're at the bargaining table, and we're demanding quality of work rules and also the raises that we deserve,' Pejas said at the time. The AFA-CWA were also unafraid to express their disapproval over the new suites. 'Today's announcement adds insult to injury,' AFA International President Sara Nelson and United AFA President Ken Diaz said on Tuesday. The pair went to say that CEO Scott Kirby did not have the right to demand concessions 'while stuffing his own pockets with gold and beating his chest about United being the best.' Flight attendants are requesting United implement 'significant double-digit base pay increases to lead the industry.' The employees are also looking for more schedule flexibility, job security and retirement plan improvements. They are also demanding compensation owed to employees for work dating back to their contract's amendable date. The new business class seats will come with a caviar and champagne service 'United CEO Scott Kirby has received a 246 percent increase in compensation in just the last two years while leaving Flight Attendants nearly four years past due on a raise and contract,' the union said. 'A new aircraft cabin doesn't pay rent, allow us to come to work without stress over paying our bills, attract new applicants, or give us the schedule control we need to have a life.' United's new Polaris Studio suites will debut on routes from San Francisco to London and Singapore by the end of the year. Seats are 25 percent larger than the airline's existing business class seat, and flyers will get luxury perks like Ossetra caviar, Champagne Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé, regionally inspired tapas, plasma face masks, and designer hoodie pajamas. Each cabin will also have Wi-Fi through Starlink, which United debuted on select flights this month. Besides the new features and contract problems, United has been under fire for its decision to cut four in every 100 of its flights this year due to a decline in US travel demand.
Associated Press
09-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Federal board makes move in hopes of avoiding New Jersey Transit strike
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Transit and its train engineers were moving closer to a potential strike as early as next week, but both sides will first head to Washington to meet with a federal mediation board in hopes of averting a rail shutdown. The National Mediation Board ordered both sides to show up on Monday in an attempt to work out their differences, both sides said Friday. A strike could happen in just a week on May 16, crippling commuters across the state. New Jersey Transit operates buses and rail in the state, providing nearly 1 million weekday trips, including into New York City. The agency plans to increase bus service if there is a rail strike, but the buses won't be able to handle close to the same number of passengers. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen in mid-April overwhelmingly rejected a labor agreement with management. Both sides had earlier said the tentative agreement included a 'reasonable wage increase' for the union's members, as well as the resolution of a long-standing grievance. But since then, both sides traded jabs over the labor dispute, which goes back to 2019, when the engineers' contract expired. Union leaders say the train engineers have gone without a raise over the past five years.
