CIRB declares strike at Air Canada unlawful, orders CUPE to direct flight attendants back to work

The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) says the ongoing strike by Air Canada’s 10,000 flight attendants is illegal and has ordered the leadership of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) to direct its members to return to work.

Following a hearing on Sunday (August 17), the CIRB declared that CUPE’s strike is unlawful, wrote Air Canada in a press release Monday (Aug. 18).

It ordered the union leadership, which authorized the strike, to immediately tell its members to end the work stoppage.

VIDEO: “It’s in Air Canada’s hands”: Flight attendants protest at Toronto Pearson

It also directed individual members of the union to cease all unlawful activities and return to work.

In its ruling the board declared:

• The union and its officers are ordered to immediately cease all activities that declare or authorize an unlawful strike of its members and to direct the members of the bargaining unit to resume the performance of their duties;
• The members of the union’s bargaining unit are directed to resume the performance of their duties immediately and to refrain from engaging in unlawful strike activities;
• The union and its officers shall provide written public notice, either through its website or other means, to all members by 12:00 pm EDT on August 18, 2025, that it has revoked its declaration or authorization of strike activities and that all members are required to resume the performance of their duties.

“The members of the union’s bargaining unit are directed to resume the performance of their duties immediately and to refrain from engaging in unlawful strike activities,” reads the directive, signed by Jennifer Webster, vice-chairperson of the CIRB.

Customers can find more information about their future flights and travel options at www.aircanada.com.

“Air Canada regrets this impact on its customers and is fully committed to returning to service as soon as possible,” the airline said.

Uncertain skies

On Monday, Air Canada suspended its financial forecasts for the third quarter and full year, attributing the decision to the ongoing strike and the suspension of all flight operations. 

The job action began early Saturday when flight attendants walked off the job, disrupting roughly 700 daily flights and grounding Canada’s largest carrier. 

In response, Labour Minister Patty Hajdu invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code on Saturday to halt the work stoppage and instructed the  CIRB to resolve the bargaining deadlock through arbitration. 

However, the union defied the order, prompting the airline to scrap plans to resume limited service on Sunday. The airline estimates 500,000 customers’ flights have been cancelled as a result, leaving many stranded in destinations. 

While Air Canada has announced intentions to restart operations Monday evening, the specifics of how that will be achieved remain uncertain.

This is a developing story.

Don't miss a single travel story: subscribe to PAX today!  Click here to follow PAX on Facebook.