Air Canada flight attendants’ strike entered its fourth day on Tuesday, causing widespread disruption for hundreds of thousands of summer travellers, despite the union confirming that talks with the airline have resumed.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has defied a federal labour board order to send its members back to work, creating a tense three-way standoff involving the company, the workers, and the government.
This dispute is now being closely watched by other labour organisations.
CUPE stated on Facebook late Monday that its representatives had met with Air Canada and mediator William Kaplan in Toronto, but stressed that the industrial action remains ongoing.
The two parties had not engaged in discussions since before the strike began. A source indicated that any further mediation is contingent on the flight attendants returning to their duties.
Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu has urged both sides to accept government mediation.
She has also increased pressure on Air Canada by pledging to investigate allegations of unpaid work within the airline sector – a key grievance for flight attendants who argue they are not compensated for tasks performed on the ground, such as boarding passengers.
This demand for pay for ground duties has been a central part of their contract negotiations for months.
Air Canada’s CEO defended the airline’s offer of a 38 per cent boost to flight attendants’ total compensation on Monday but acknowledged a big gap with the union’s demands and stopped short of offering plans to break the deadlock.
The union has said Air Canada’s offer only accounts for 17.2 per cent higher wages over four years.
CUPE’s leader said earlier he would risk jail time rather than allow cabin crews to be forced back to work by the labour board, which declared the strike unlawful.
The union says the strike will continue until the carrier negotiates on wages and unpaid work, even after the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) declared the strike unlawful.
Retiree Klaus Hickman missed a flight to Toronto earlier in the week. While he rebooked on another airline, he was concerned about returning to Calgary on time for a connecting flight to Germany.
Hickman sympathises with workers demanding better pay but is worried about his own health and travel challenges.
“They want to get more money to survive. And so it is with everybody else,” he said.
Canada’s largest carrier normally carries 130,000 people daily and is part of the global Star Alliance of airlines.
Sleeping in airports
James Numfor, 38, from Regina, Saskatchewan, has been stranded in Toronto for two nights since returning from Cameroon for his brother’s funeral. Air Canada only provided one night in a hotel for his family before leaving them without further support, he said.
“We sleep in the airport (…) we find any place comfortable with the kids, they just lay down,” Numfor said.
Numfor said passengers feel abandoned in a dispute between management and unions.
The government’s options to force an end to the strike include asking courts to enforce the order to return to work and seeking an expedited hearing.
The minority government could also try to pass legislation that would need the support of political rivals and approval in both houses of parliament, which are on break until September 15, but has so far been cautious.
Other labour organisations are voicing support for the flight attendants. Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress, Canada’s largest labour organisation, told Reuters they are ready to join the Air Canada strike if necessary.
“All cards are on the table in terms of what unions are prepared to do to ramp up a fightback campaign,” said Bruske, whose organisation represents 3 million workers across Canada. Help could include financial contributions to cover legal costs for CUPE, she said.
Air Canada’s pilot union, the Air Line Pilots’ Association, said it encouraged its members to join the picket lines during their time off.
“Air Canada pilots support our flight attendant colleagues in their ongoing struggle to achieve the fair contract they have earned,” it said in a statement. “This is an important moment for organised labour across Canada.”
