Jazz reaches tentative agreement with flight dispatchers

Jazz Aviation has reached a tentative agreement with the Canadian Airline Dispatchers Association (CALDA), the union representing its 57 flight dispatchers.

The new collective agreement is subject to ratification. 

Jazz said additional information will be released once the agreement has been ratified.

The tentative deal comes approximately one month after Jazz flight dispatchers voted 96.4 per cent in favour of authorizing strike action.

Of the 59 members eligible to participate in the June vote, 56 cast ballots and 54 supported a strike mandate.

The dispatchers had been working without a collective agreement since Jan. 1, 2026, when their previous 10-year contract expired.

CALDA said members were seeking a wage adjustment that would restore purchasing power lost over the previous decade as wages failed to keep pace with inflation and the rising cost of living.

The union and Jazz entered conciliation, which was scheduled to conclude on July 10. A mandatory 21-day cooling-off period was set to follow, with dispatchers potentially entering a legal strike position as early as Aug. 1 if an agreement was not reached.

Jazz flight dispatchers are certified aviation professionals who support the operation of approximately 400 daily flights on behalf of Air Canada under the Air Canada Express brand.

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