Air Canada Flight Attendants Unionize and End Strike
Air Canada's unionized flight attendants reach agreement after four-day strike
Montreal/Toronto: Air Canada's unionized flight attendants reached an agreement with the country's largest carrier on Tuesday, ending the first strike by cabin crew in 40 years.
The strike that lasted nearly four days had led to the withdrawal of the airline's third quarter and full-year earnings guidance.
The carrier said it would gradually resume operations and a full restoration may require a week or more.
Some flights will be canceled over the next seven to ten days until the schedule is stabilized, and customers with canceled flights can choose between a refund, travel credit, or rebooking on another airline.
Air Canada offered a 38 percent increase in total compensation for flight attendants over four years earlier, but the union deemed this insufficient.
The flight attendants walked off the job on Saturday after contract talks failed and have been seeking pay for tasks such as boarding passengers, which are not currently remunerated.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents Air Canada's 10,400 flight attendants, wanted to make gains on unpaid work beyond recent advances secured by their counterparts at US carriers like American Airlines.
Despite a federal labor board order to return to work, the union remained on strike.
The three-way standoff between the company, workers, and the government led Jobs Minister Patty Hajjdu to urge both sides to consider government mediation and investigate allegations of unpaid work in the airline sector.
The strike that lasted nearly four days had led to the withdrawal of the airline's third quarter and full-year earnings guidance.
The carrier said it would gradually resume operations and a full restoration may require a week or more.
Some flights will be canceled over the next seven to ten days until the schedule is stabilized, and customers with canceled flights can choose between a refund, travel credit, or rebooking on another airline.
Air Canada offered a 38 percent increase in total compensation for flight attendants over four years earlier, but the union deemed this insufficient.
The flight attendants walked off the job on Saturday after contract talks failed and have been seeking pay for tasks such as boarding passengers, which are not currently remunerated.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents Air Canada's 10,400 flight attendants, wanted to make gains on unpaid work beyond recent advances secured by their counterparts at US carriers like American Airlines.
Despite a federal labor board order to return to work, the union remained on strike.
The three-way standoff between the company, workers, and the government led Jobs Minister Patty Hajjdu to urge both sides to consider government mediation and investigate allegations of unpaid work in the airline sector.
