Air Canada flight attendant strike looms amid tense negotiations

An Air Canada strike could be on the horizon as flight attendants and the airline remain locked in tense contract negotiations.

The Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents 10,000 flight attendants, has been negotiating with the airline even before the collective agreement expired on March 31. But now both parties have reached an impasse. As a result, CUPE announced on May 14 that it had filed for conciliation with the federal minister of labour.

"Air Canada remains committed to achieving a fair, negotiated agreement with CUPE under the normal bargaining process set out under the Canada Labour Code," reads a statement from the airline. "For this reason, customers can continue to book and travel with confidence on Air Canada."

CUPE explained that once a conciliator is appointed, they'll have 60 days to work with both parties, followed by a mandatory 21-day cooling-off period. If no agreement has been reached after the cooling-off period, the union "may give 72 hours' notice of job action after a strike vote has been taken."

In an email statement, Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), said their top priority is fair compensation.

"As a general rule, Air Canada only pays flight attendants when the aircraft is in motion, so all pre-flight and post-flight duties (boarding, deplaning, safety checks, assisting passengers, and more) are unpaid," he said.

Lesosky said the union is determined to end the practice, adding that union members need a raise to keep up with the "skyrocketing cost of living."

"An entry-level flight attendant at Air Canada earns $1,951.30 per month — that is impossible to live on," he said. "We deserve fair compensation that respects the professionalism and dedication to safety that we put into our work every day."

Lesosky said it's not just Air Canada; low wages and unpaid work are industry-wide issues that threaten the viability of the profession.

CUPE has been campaigning to urge the government to close a loophole in the Canada Labour Code allowing airlines to force flight attendants to work an average of 35 hours monthly without pay. Unpaid duties include boarding and deplaning the aircraft, helping passengers with mobility issues, and performing pre-flight safety checks.

"It is harder and harder to call this a career anymore when the industry is suppressing wages and worsening working conditions at every turn," stated Lesosky.

So, will ongoing negotiations affect Canadians' summer travel plans? For now, it may be too early to tell, but it is a possibility.

"We don't want to be on strike this summer," said Lesosky. "We want a fair contract so we can keep flying and connecting Canadians. It's time for Air Canada to give flight attendants and the flying public the respect they deserve."