Air Canada announced Aug. 17 that it would be resuming flights after the Canadian government intervened to end a flight attendants’ strike.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) representing the flag carrier’s flight attendants began the strike on Aug. 16 after rejecting a proposed wage increase.
Canada’s jobs minister Patty Hajdu stated Aug. 16 she had exercised her authority under Section 107 of the Canadian Labor Code to direct the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to arbitrate the dispute. During this process unionized staff must return to work.
The CIRB instructed Air Canada’s flight attendants to resume their duties from 2 p.m. E.T. on Aug. 17, according to the airline. Air Canada plans to resume flights in the evening but noted that aircraft and crew are out of position. It will take several days to normalize operations and that other services will be canceled during this time, the airline said.
In the days leading up to the strike Air Canada had asked Ottawa to intervene, requesting “immediate intervention by the Canadian government to use its powers to direct binding interest arbitration,” before a work stoppage becomes effective.
Hajdu on Aug. 14. contacted CUPE to request a response to Air Canada’s desire to seek government intervention. The union on Aug. 15 urged the government not to intervene.
Responding to a question during an Aug. 16 press conference regarding the timing of her decision to request arbitration from CIRB, Hajdu cited a “disappointing outcome” from talks she held with Air Canada and CUPE on the evening of Friday, Aug. 15
“I asked them to continue to meet throughout the night, the mediators were there assisting the parties,” she said. Information she received from mediators on the morning of Aug. 16 was that “the parties were still very far apart on a number of key issues.”
She stated there was an offer proposed by Air Canada “and the talks broke down.”
In a previous proposition, Air Canada offered flight attendants a 38% wage increase over four years and boarding pay. But CUPE concluded the offer for boarding pay was only 50% of flight attendants’ hourly rate. The union also claimed Air Canada refused to increase flight attendant wages to match industry standards, inflation, or even federal minimum wage.
CUPE said Hajdu used Section 107 to intervene on behalf of Air Canada to end the strike after less than 12 hours. “This is not over,” union leader Mark Hancock said. “We will continue to fight on the picket lines, on the streets, at the bargaining table, in the courts, and in Parliament.”