Air Canada flight attendants return to bargaining table as 10-year contract ends

The flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge have returned to the bargaining table after their 10-year collective agreement ended on Monday (April 1).

In a news release, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents more than 10,000 Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants, said it’s the “beginning of a new, and hopeful era for us.”

“When we look back over the last 10 years, we have grown, evolved and accomplished so much together, united as a membership, we have also sacrificed a lot too,” wrote the Air Canada Component of CUPE.

The union has called on members to gather for “bargaining and mobilization” from Tuesday to Saturday at various Canadian base locations.

This week, members met in Montreal on Tuesday (April 1),  and will meet in Toronto on Wednesday (April 2), followed by Vancouver on Friday and, finally, Calgary on Saturday.

Could they go on strike?

But will there be a strike? 

According to an update shared by the union, it will take time, and possible mediation, before it gets to that point.

“We cannot go on strike until we have come to an impasse and have taken a strike vote, and that would not be until we have gone into conciliation, possible mediation and then come to a full impasse, completed a cooling off period and moved forward,’ the union wrote. “There will be ample notice and information prior to us going down that road.”

In an emailed statement to the National Post, president of the Air Canada Component of CUPE Wesley Lesosky said that he wanted to emphasize that the union is “working very hard to get a deal done and avoid job action.”

The union has set bargaining dates with Air Canada into June, the report says.

Air Canada has been in negotiations with CUPE since the start of the year, telling the Post that it is “committed to working with the union to achieve an agreement that recognizes our flight attendants’ contribution to the success of Air Canada.”

One of the main topics in the negotiations is the overall compensation for the flight attendants. Performing “hours of work for free,” such as performing safety-related tasks, and the time spent boarding and deplaning, is also a sticking point, the union says.

CUPE’s Airline Division has launched a campaign to raise awareness about this issue.

It asks Canadians to hit send on a pre-filled-out email to Air Canada that states: “Flight attendants deserve to be paid during boarding, safety checks, deplaning, and any time they’re working. Air Canada needs to stop putting profits ahead of workers and everyone’s safety.”

A survey conducted between Dec. 10, 2022, and Jan. 11, 2023 found that flight attendants in Canada work, on average, nearly 35 hours per month unpaid.

The flight attendants are also pushing for a wage increase.

The bargaining committee has been working on a timeline since June 2023, according to an update the group posted online.

“This timeline is fluid and has and will be adjusted as needed,” the union said.

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