Air Canada to shut all flights, lock out its flight attendants weekend onwards: Here's why

Air Canada says it will lock out its flight attendants this weekend after their union served notice of a strike, setting the stage for a full shutdown of operations if the dispute is not resolved.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the airline’s 9,500 flight attendants, said 99.7 per cent of members voted to strike. The union has pressed for pay during all hours worked, cost-of-living protections and wage increases it says are in line with industry standards.

One major point of contention between the union and the airline is unpaid work hours. Staff is currently compensated at an hourly rate, but only for the time that the plane is in the air, viz. from take-off to landing.

However, the flight attendants spend a lot of time during boarding safety checks and deplaning that they are not paid for. CUPE wants this to change.

“If you factor in the total time worked, you’re essentially earning less than federal minimum wage if you’re a junior flight attendant,” CUPE spokesperson Pouliot told The Globe and Mail.

“For the past nine months, we have put forward solid, data-driven proposals on wages and unpaid work,” CNN quoted Wesley Lesosky, president of CUPE’s Air Canada Component, as saying. “Air Canada’s response makes one thing clear: they are not interested in resolving these critical issues.”

The airline said it has been negotiating for eight months, offered binding arbitration and last week proposed a deal including a 38 per cent pay rise over four years. The offer was rejected and the union issued a strike notice, prompting Air Canada to respond with a 72-hour lockout notice effective 16 August.

Flights could begin being cancelled as early as Wednesday, with more cancellations Thursday and a full shutdown by Saturday. Air Canada operates nearly 430 daily flights between Canada and the US, serving over 50 US airports, and says it flies about 130,000 passengers a day.

Labour minister Patty Hajdu said she has met both sides and urged them to stay at the table with federal mediators “until a deal is found.”

The dispute comes as boarding pay and compensation for all hours worked remain contentious issues across the airline industry, with similar debates playing out in the US.