Union says relationship with Air Canada has “deteriorated,” urges new CEO to “rebuild trust”

The union representing more than 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge is calling on the airline's incoming chief executive officer to rebuild a strained relationship with frontline employees, saying the current labour environment has become increasingly confrontational.

In an open letter addressed to Anko van der Werff, who will become Air Canada's president, chief executive officer and a member of the Board by the end of January 2027, the Air Canada Component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) congratulated the long-time airline executive on his appointment while urging him to usher in a new era of collaboration.

Van der Werff, currently president and CEO of Scandinavian Airlines, will succeed Michael Rousseau, who previously announced his retirement after 19 years with Air Canada.

"Leadership transitions provide an opportunity for renewal, and we hope yours will mark the beginning of a new chapter in the relationship between Air Canada/Air Canada Rouge and the Flight Attendants, Service Directors and Leads who are the face of this airline every day," the union wrote.

The letter, which was published Tuesday (July 21), arrives nearly a year after one of the most turbulent labour disputes in Air Canada's recent history.

Last August, more than 10,000 Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants walked off the job, demanding higher wages and compensation for unpaid work performed before takeoff and after landing.

The strike, as PAX reported, forced Air Canada to suspend operations across its mainline and Rouge networks, cancelling roughly 700 flights a day for three days and stranding thousands of travellers during the peak summer travel season.

A tentative agreement was reached on Aug. 19, 2025, addressing ground-duty pay and wage increases.

However, members later rejected the proposed wage package in September, ultimately sending the dispute to binding arbitration.

An arbitrator finalized a settlement in early 2026, ending the wage dispute, but the union's latest letter suggests tensions between the two sides have persisted.

Relations have “deteriorated”

While the union praised its members' commitment to the airline, it says labour relations have significantly “deteriorated” over the past year.

"Unfortunately, we must also be candid,” the letter reads. "The relationship between Air Canada and our Union has deteriorated significantly over the past year. Decisions affecting our members are increasingly made without meaningful consultation, even when those decisions represent a departure from established practices or impact our Collective Agreement. As a result, we have been forced to rely on an increasing number of policy grievances simply to preserve negotiated rights and established processes.

"This is not a healthy labour relations environment for either party."

According to CUPE, many disputes could be avoided through earlier consultation and greater collaboration.

“Strong organizations are built on trust, transparency, and respectful dialogue. While disagreements are inevitable, they should be addressed through meaningful consultation rather than after decisions have already been implemented,” the letter reads.

Bilingual staffing cited as recent example

The union points to Air Canada's recent decision to reduce bilingual cabin crew coverage on certain overseas widebody flights as an example of what it describes as a lack of meaningful consultation.

"Air Canada’s decision to reduce bilingual cabin crew coverage on certain overseas widebody flights was announced to the Union at the same time it was announced to employees,” the letter reads.

“There was no advance discussion despite the obvious operational and workforce implications as well as recently negotiated language.”

CUPE says it has long encouraged Air Canada to prioritize recruiting language-qualified flight attendants while investing in language training for existing employees.

"For several years, we have consistently encouraged the Company to make the recruitment of language-qualified Flight Attendants a strategic priority. We have also advocated for meaningful investment in language education for existing employees, allowing those who wish to acquire or strengthen additional language skills to do so through supported training initiatives and not just through “voluntary” means,” the letter reads.

The union argues Canada's linguistic diversity requires long-term workforce planning rather than temporary operational adjustments.

“Today’s staffing challenges are not the result of a sudden increase in demand. They reflect an opportunity that has existed for years to strengthen the bilingual and route language workforce through proactive planning and investment,” the letter reads.

It adds that language-qualified crews continue to face operational pressures because too few qualified employees are available to meet scheduling demands.

“We believe this situation can be improved—not through temporary measures—but through a collaborative strategy that values multilingual skills as a long-term operational strength,” the letter reads.

Unpaid work remains a concern

Beyond staffing issues, the letter revisits one of the central issues that fuelled last year's labour dispute: compensation for work performed outside paid flight time.

“Our members continue to perform significant amounts of unpaid work before, during, and after every flight. This long-standing issue remains unresolved despite years of discussion,” the letter reads. “Flight Attendants are safety professionals whose responsibilities begin well before the aircraft door closes, yet much of this work continues to go uncompensated.”

The union also says many members remain frustrated by how the 2025 bargaining process concluded.

“The events surrounding the 2025 round of collective bargaining also continue to weigh heavily on our membership. Government intervention brought negotiations to an abrupt conclusion before our members had the opportunity to fully exercise their collective bargaining rights,” the letter reads.

“Many Flight Attendants were left feeling disappointed that important workplace issues—including fair compensation for all hours worked—remain unresolved.

CUPE notes those concerns come as many Canadians continue to grapple with affordability pressures and rising living costs.

Call for a reset

Despite outlining a lengthy list of concerns, the union frames its letter as an opportunity to begin anew under incoming leadership.

"We believe there is an opportunity to reset the relationship between Air Canada and the Union,” the letter reads.

"Our objective is not conflict for the sake of conflict. Our objective is to build a successful airline while ensuring that the employees who make that success possible are respected, consulted, and treated fairly."

The union says flight attendants possess valuable operational knowledge that should be incorporated into decision-making.

“They understand our customers, identify operational challenges firsthand, and offer practical solutions every day,” the letter reads. “We believe that engaging employees and their Union as partners—not simply stakeholders to be informed after decisions are made—will produce better outcomes for everyone."

The letter concludes with what CUPE describes as an invitation to Air Canada's incoming CEO.

"As you begin your tenure as Chief Executive Officer, we hope you will view this letter in the spirit in which it is intended: an invitation."

"An invitation to rebuild trust."

"An invitation to establish a relationship founded on consultation rather than confrontation."

"An invitation to recognize that protecting the rights of employees and building a stronger, more competitive Air Canada are not opposing objectives—they are complementary ones."

The union says it looks forward to meeting with van der Werff and Air Canada's leadership team "to discuss how we can move beyond the challenges of the past and work together to build an Air Canada that is stronger for its employees, stronger for its customers, and stronger for Canada."

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