Air Canada and the union representing its approximately 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants failed to reach an agreement overnight, putting the flight attendants in a position to potentially walk off the job Saturday at 12:58 a.m. ET if a deal isn’t reached by then to avoid a work stoppage.
Air Canada says it will begin a phased wind down of most of its operations stating, “The first flights will be cancelled Aug. 14, with more on Aug. 15, with a complete cessation of flying by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge on Aug. 16.”
The company said that it has issued the statutory 72-hour lockout notice to the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) representing Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge workers after the union provided notice it intends to begin a strike.
The move is designed to provide “certainty” to its customers, says Air Canada, which says it has also sought government-directed arbitration to resolve the situation.
The airline said it offered the flight attendants a 38% 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.”
It added that it had also asked for unspecified concessions from the union.
Early Wednesday morning, the union issued 72-hour strike notice and could walk off the job at 12:58 a.m. ET on Saturday.
In an update posted online, the union said it has made progress on some items during its contract talks, but has been unable to reach a deal.
The union has said its main sticking points revolve around what it calls flight attendants’ “poverty wages” and unpaid labour when planes aren’t in the air.
“Despite our best efforts, Air Canada refused to address our core issues,” the union said in a bargaining update post online.
The union rejected the proposal from the airline to enter a binding arbitration process, saying it prefers to negotiate a deal that its members can then vote on.
Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz and PAL Airlines will continue to operate as normal. However, these regional partners only carry about 20 per cent of Air Canada’s daily customers.
Information for customers
Air Canada says customers whose flights are cancelled will be notified and they will be eligible for a full refund, which can be obtained online at www.aircanada.com or through the Air Canada mobile app.
It adds arrangements have been made with other Canadian and foreign carriers to provide customers alternative travel options to the extent possible and Customers will be notified of alternative travel options that are identified for them. However, given other carriers are already very full due to the summer travel peak, securing such capacity will take time and, in many cases, will not be immediately possible.
Air Canada has undertaken other measures to mitigate the impact on customers. This includes implementing a flexible rebooking policy for all customers, so they can change or defer travel at no additional cost. Air Canada will in all cases inform passengers of their rights under applicable rules if their flight is cancelled or delayed and meet its regulatory obligations.
Air Canada strongly recommends against customers going to the airport unless they have a confirmed booking and their flights are showing as operating on www.aircanada.com or the mobile app. Customers are also advised to use self-service tools as contact centre wait times are expected to be highly elevated.
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