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

This story was updated on Monday, August 18 at 11:41 a.m. EST

Air Canada's flight attendants remained on strike on Sunday (Aug 17), despite being ordered back to work by the federal government.

As a result, the country’s largest airline was forced to postpone the resumption of its operations, which includes flights by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge.

In a press release, the airline said the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the workers, “illegally directed its flight attendant members to defy a direction from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to return to work.”

The CIRB had ordered the flight attendants to resume their duties by 14:00 EDT on Sunday—a directive CUPE defied. In the end, the 240 flights that were scheduled to operate that day were cancelled, said Air Canada, noting that it plans to resume flights starting Monday evening (Aug 18).

READ MORE: Air Canada scraps plan to restart operations after CUPE defies CIRB directive

But with more than 10,000 flight attendants still on strike, questions remain about how the carrier intends to carry out its operations.

PAX has reached out to Air Canada for clarification on its next steps.

CUPE says its members will remain on strike until Air Canada returns to the table to “negotiate a fair deal.” The flight attendant strike officially began early Saturday morning. 

For each day that the strike continues, some 130,000 customers could be impacted, says Air Canada. 

Ottawa steps in

On Saturday (Aug. 16), the Liberal government moved to end the strike by asking the CIRB to order binding arbitration. The CIRB issued the order, which Air Canada had sought, and unionized flight attendants opposed.

READ MORE: Ottawa invokes Section 107 of Labour Code to end AC strike; "Strike still on," says union

Under the Canada Labour Code, the government has the authority to request that the CIRB impose binding arbitration when it deems it necessary to safeguard the economy.

To end the strike, the government could pursue legal action to enforce the return-to-work order or request an expedited hearing.

Canada’s minority government could also introduce back-to-work legislation — although this would require support from opposition parties and approval from both chambers of Parliament, which is currently in recess until September 15.

CUPE has called the government’s latest actions unconstitutional. However, the next day (on Monday, August 18), the CIRB declared that the strike is illegal, ordering CUPE's leadership to direct its members to return to work.

On the picket line at YYZ

Picket lines, meanwhile, formed at Canadian airports over the weekend, and PAX was present at Sunday’s demonstration at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to capture the action. 

Upwards of 500 CUPE members gathered outside of Terminal 1, waving signs that read “Unpaid work won’t fly” and “We love our passengers, not poverty pay,” while roaring, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, unpaid work has got to go,” and other chants directed at Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau and Minister of Jobs Patty Hajdu, who exercised her authority to invoke Section 107 of the Labour Code to end the strike that has resulted in the suspension of more than 700 flights.

Air Canada’s flight attendants are seeking improved wages and compensation for work they do before flights take off and after they land. But with no resolution in sight, what happens next? 

What would be an ideal solution?

What’s the union’s message to travellers who are stranded in destinations?

PAX spoke to Shanyn Elliott, mobilization & engagement chair of the Air Canada Component of CUPE, at Sunday’s rally in Toronto to learn more.

Watch the interview here.

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