Latest news with #laborprotest
CBC
15 hours ago
- General
- CBC
'Until the wheels move, we are not paid,' says Air Canada flight attendant
Henly Larden, an Air Canada flight attendant and the vice-president of CUPE 4094, says flight attendants work an average of 35 unpaid hours per month related to duties performed during boarding and deplaning. This comes as Air Canada flight attendants rallied outside major airports on Monday as part of a national day of action to protest low pay and unpaid work.
CBC
15 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
Air Canada flight attendants picket YVR, other major Canadian airports
Air Canada flight attendants were picketing at four major airports across the country on Monday, including at Vancouver International Airport. As CBC's Pinki Wong reports, they might go on strike as early as this week.
CBC
20 hours ago
- Politics
- CBC
Air Canada flight attendants rally in Vancouver
Hundreds of Air Canada flight attendants are rallying at Vancouver international Airport... As a potential strike looms. Today's demonstration is part of a national day of action to protest low pay and unpaid work. Last week, Air Canada flight attendants voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate.
National Post
21 hours ago
- 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
CBC
a day ago
- Politics
- CBC
Air Canada flight attendants rally in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal
Air Canada flight attendants rally in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal News Duration 2:39 Hundreds of Air Canada flight attendants are rallying at Vancouver international Airport... As a potential strike looms. Today's demonstration is part of a national day of action to protest low pay and unpaid work. Last week, Air Canada flight attendants voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate.
