8 hours ago
Air Canada flight attendant union refuses to end strike
The union representing Air Canada flight attendants says it will continue to defy a back-to-work order despite the Canada Industrial Relations Board ruling their strike "unlawful".The independent federal tribunal deemed the job action by the cabin crews - now in its third day - illegal on Monday after the union defied a government back-to-work order issued over the weekend."If Air Canada thinks planes will be flying this afternoon, they're sorely mistaken," said Canadian Union of Public Employees president Mark strike by more than 10,000 flight attendants for Canada's largest airline has stranded tens of thousands of passengers since flights were grounded on Saturday.
The Canada Industrial Relations Board decision ordered the union to send its members back to work by 12:00 EST (16:00GMT) on Monday, and also directed the members to return to their is unclear what consequences the CUPE now faces for its a news conference, Mr Hancock said the union is willing to accept any penalties for its refusal to comply, including monetary fines and jail time."If it means folks like me going to jail, then so be it," he told reporters, adding that the union will only accept to resolve this through a negotiated settlement at the bargaining table. Under Canadian law, the union and individual workers could be fined or sanctioned for refusing to return to work, Western University law professor Michael Lynk told Minister Mark Carney said it was "disappointing" that Air Canada and its cabin crew were unable to reach an agreement after eight months of negotiations. "We are in a situation where literally hundreds of thousands of Canadians and visitors to our country are being disrupted by this action," Carney said in Ottawa on Monday. "I urge both parties to resolve this as quickly as possible."The airline estimates some 500,000 passengers have so far been affected by flight attendants are calling for higher salaries and to be paid for work when aircraft are on the Saturday, Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu ordered binding arbitration to end the dispute. CUPE made the rare move of directing its members to ignore a back-to-work order on Sunday and accused the government of "caving to corporate pressure".
