With flight attendant strike looming, union accuses minister of speaking ’on behalf’ of Air Canada

By Jenna Benchetrit, CBC News, RCI

Air Canada officials speak in Toronto on Thursday about the looming strike by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) representing the airline’s flight attendants, as a CUPE member nearby holds up a sign. Photo: CBC / Evan Mitsui

Minister agreed to give union until noon on Friday to respond to arbitration request

As Air Canada cancelled flights on Thursday ahead of a possible flight attendants’ strike, the union representing those workers accused the federal jobs minister of speaking on behalf of the company amid a contentious labour dispute.

Every party has expressed support for our effort to end unpaid work, except for the governing Liberal Party, Wesley Lesosky, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees’ Air Canada component, said during a news conference.

CUPE national president Mark Hancock said that after the union presented several wage offers to Air Canada, federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu brought a ‘no’ from Air Canada to the bargaining table.

I’ve been doing this for a long time, dealt with different types of governments across this country, and not once have I seen a minister reply on behalf of a company, said Hancock.

Air Canada officials confirmed on Thursday that they asked the federal government to make a referral under Section 107 of Canada’s Labour Code to send the parties to binding arbitration if a deal can’t be reached.

After asking CUPE to respond to the airline’s request for arbitration, the minister said on Thursday afternoon that she agreed to give the union until Friday at 12 p.m. ET to do so.

To the parties: I strongly urge you to come to an agreement — do not waste this precious time. Canadians are counting on you, Hajdu wrote on social media platform X.

CBC News reached out to the minister’s office for comment.

Both parties need to stay at the table with a commitment to get a collective agreement for workers as soon as possible. Right now, the only focus should be on getting a deal, spokesperson Jennifer Kozelj said in response.

This dispute is causing a great deal of anxiety and frustration to Canadians who are travelling or worrying about how they will come home.

Earlier this week, Air Canada sent a proposal to CUPE that the parties use binding interest arbitration to come to an agreement as they negotiate the renewal of a 10-year collective agreement for more than 10,000 flight attendants.

CUPE declined to use arbitration, a process in which an outside arbitrator would hear proposals from each side about specific agenda items that haven’t been agreed upon and then make a decision that would bind both parties.

WATCH | Mediators can work ‘around the clock’ for a deal, says jobs minister:

‘Air Canada walked away,’ CUPE president says

CUPE held its own news conference just a few hours after Air Canada officials spoke to the media in Toronto, outlining the airline’s plan to gradually suspend flights until a complete shutdown on Saturday.

The airline’s conference was cut short by its communications officer after several CUPE members entered the room holding up signs bearing slogans like: Unpaid work won’t fly.

A news conference with Air Canada officials to discuss the looming strike by the airline’s 10,000 flight attendants was cut short on Thursday morning after union members interrupted the meeting at a Toronto hotel. Pictured at back, from left: Air Canada’s chief communications officer Christophe Hennebelle, chief human resources officer Arielle Meloul-Wechsler and chief operations officer Mark Nasr. Photo: CBC / Evan Mitsui

Lesosky said that the union is trying to end the abuse of unpaid work by this company, reiterating that its members are struggling to pay rent and buy basic groceries.

Several CUPE representatives have said that Air Canada hasn’t been at the negotiating table since Tuesday evening.

Air Canada walked away when we entertained wages, unpaid work and very minor other detailed items. So those two big items seem to be the catalysts that has [led] them to walk away, Lesosky said.

WATCH | Air Canada walked away from table, CUPE president says:

500 flight cancellations expected by Friday evening

Air Canada officials said during their news conference on Thursday morning that the union made the last few days of negotiations meaningless by making unsustainable offers.

The airline started cancelling flights Thursday morning, particularly long-haul international flights due to depart tonight, chief operations officer Mark Nasr said, alongside chief human resources officer Arielle Meloul-Wechsler.

The cancellations will keep going and grow in magnitude, Nasr said, with Air Canada expecting to cancel several dozen flights on Thursday and about 500 flights by Friday evening, affecting more than 100,000 customers.

WATCH | Airline officials outline cancellation plans:

All flights will be paused by Saturday morning, with the work stoppage slated to officially start just before 1 a.m. ET that day.

Canadian travellers have been anxiously awaiting news of cancelled flights. As of 3:45 p.m. ET, the flight-tracking website FlightAware showed that 10 Air Canada flights departing on Thursday had been cancelled.

The airline also cancelled seven flights and budget airline Air Canada Rouge cancelled three flights scheduled for Friday.

Why negotiations reached an impasse

Among the sticking points in negotiations are wages and something called ground pay, which covers the work that flight attendants do before boarding and after deplaning, including safety procedures and assisting passengers.

WATCH | A flight attendant explains what ground pay means:

The union says Air Canada offered an eight per cent wage increase in the first year of a four-year deal, while Air Canada said it offered the union a 38 per cent increase in total compensation (which includes wages and benefits) over four years, with a 25 per cent increase in the first year. The union maintains it hasn’t seen such an offer.

The airline proposed ground pay at 50 per cent of a flight attendant’s hourly rate, according to CUPE’s Air Canada component. The union declined the proposal and is asking for ground work to be paid at 100 per cent.

This article is republished from RCI.