Timeline of the Air Canada Strike
As of 12:58 a.m. on Saturday, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) representing 10,000 flight attendants had declared a strike. All Air Canada flights were cancelled as a result — at least 124 — affecting over 500,000 customers as of Monday, said the airline.
This included all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge operations but flights by Air Canada Express — operated by third-party airlines Jazz and PAL — were not.
“We regret the impact a disruption will have on our customers, our stakeholders and the communities we serve,” said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive of Air Canada. “However, the disappointing conduct of CUPE’s negotiators and the union’s stated intention to launch a strike puts us in a position where our only responsible course of action is to provide certainty by implementing an orderly suspension of Air Canada’s and Air Canada Rouge’s operations through a lockout. As we have seen elsewhere in our industry with other labour disruptions, unplanned or uncontrolled shutdowns, such as we are now at risk of through a strike, can create chaos for travellers that is far, far worse.”
Air Canada strongly advised affected customers not to go to the airport unless they have a confirmed ticket on another airline.
Patty Hajdu, the Federal Minister of Jobs and Families, instructed the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to use binding arbitration, as the board deemed CUPE’s strike unlawful and workers must return to work by Sunday at 2 p.m. EST.
“The Liberals have talked out of both sides of their mouths. They said the best place for this is at the bargaining table. They refused to correct this historic injustice through legislation,” said Wesley Lesosky, President of the Air Canada Component of CUPE. “Now, when we’re at the bargaining table with an obstinate employer, the Liberals are violating our Charter rights to take job action and give Air Canada exactly what they want — hours and hours of unpaid labour from underpaid flight attendants, while the company pulls in sky-high profits and extraordinary executive compensation.”
Despite the order, CUPE refused to go back to work and continued striking. The union was fighting for Air Canada to stop unpaid work, as flight attendants were only compensated for their time from the moment the flight doors closed until they opened. CUPE workers also sought fair cost-of-living wage increases.
“We will be challenging this blatantly unconstitutional order that violates the Charter rights of 10,000 flight attendants, 70 per cent of whom are women, and 100 per cent of whom are forced to do hours of unpaid work by their employer every time they come to work,” according to a public statement released by CUPE.
Air Canada offered a deal that would have made their flight attendants the highest compensated in the country according to Rousseau.
“Our latest offer included a 38 per cent increase in total compensation over four years that would have made our flight attendants the best compensated in Canada, along with provisions for ground pay and other work-life balance, career and pension improvements,” he said. “At the same time, we asked for no concessions from the union. Given this, while we remain available for discussions with CUPE, we have requested government-directed arbitration as we now view it as the only certain avenue to bring closure to bargaining and mitigate the impact on travellers, business and the Canadian economy.”
As the strike continued into Monday, CUPE said they were willing to work out a deal but had to be at the table. There was ‘no limit’ to how far CUPE would take negotiations, said Mark Hancock, CUPE national president.
“If it means folks like me going to jail, then so be it. If it means our union being fined, then so be it. We’re looking for a solution here,” he said.
A mediated tentative agreement was reached on Monday morning. The first flights are scheduled for Tuesday evening, but full, regular service may require seven to 10 days as aircraft and crew are out of position. Air Canada had some flights cancelled until the schedule is stabilized.
“The suspension of our service is extremely difficult for our customers. We deeply regret and apologize for the impact on them of this labour disruption. Our priority now is to get them moving as quickly as possible,” said Rousseau. “Restarting a major carrier like Air Canada is a complex undertaking. Full restoration may require a week or more, so we ask for our customers’ patience and understanding over the coming days. I assure them that everyone at Air Canada is doing everything possible to enable them to travel soon.”
