More than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants initiated a strike at 12:58 a.m. ET on Saturday due to the failure of the airline and their union to reach an agreement before the deadline. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) issued a 72-hour strike notice following midnight on Wednesday. In response, Air Canada announced its intention to lock out workers and began reducing operations on Thursday by gradually suspending flights.
With the work stoppage now in place, Air Canada anticipates that approximately 130,000 customers will be impacted daily during the strike, including 25,000 Canadian travelers currently overseas. The strike was triggered after negotiations between CUPE and Air Canada hit a deadlock, particularly on issues relating to wages and ground pay, which compensates flight attendants for work during grounded flights.
Earlier in the week, Air Canada proposed to CUPE the use of binding arbitration to negotiate the renewal of a 10-year collective agreement that expired in March. However, CUPE rejected the arbitration process, expressing a preference to continue negotiations directly and reach a mutual agreement at the table.
Air Canada sought federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu’s intervention under Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to refer the negotiations to binding interest arbitration. Hajdu set a deadline for CUPE to respond by noon on Friday, but the union declined the offer to engage in arbitration.
The ongoing strike has caused disruptions to Air Canada’s operations, impacting both domestic and international travelers. The airline and the union remain at odds over key issues, prolonging the standoff between the two parties.