Flight attendants at Air Canada have voted by a staggering 99.7 percent in favor of strike action, signaling growing labor unrest at the country’s largest airline. The vote, announced Tuesday(August 5) by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), authorizes a strike as early as later this month if contract talks remain stalled. The labor standoff comes during one of the busiest travel periods of the year, with potential strike action threatening significant disruptions to domestic and international flights.
The union, which represents more than 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada and its budget subsidiary Air Canada Rouge, said it could issue a formal 72-hour strike notice starting August 16. While the vote does not guarantee a walkout, it increases pressure on the airline to resolve a dispute that has reached an impasse.
“Flight attendants have had a chance to weigh in and tell the company it’s time to get serious about negotiating,” said Wesley Lesosky, president of CUPE’s Air Canada Component, in a statement.
At the core of the dispute is compensation, particularly how flight attendants are paid for their time. In both Canada and the United States, flight attendants are pushing back against longstanding industry practices that only compensate them while the aircraft is in motion. That means hours spent preparing the cabin, boarding passengers, and performing other pre-flight duties go unpaid.
Air Canada acknowledged that “ground time” is a topic of ongoing discussion at the bargaining table.
In a statement, the Montreal-based airline said it remains committed to reaching a “fair and equitable collective agreement that recognizes the contributions of its flight attendants and supports the competitiveness and long-term growth of the company.”
Air Canada also stressed that it is eager to return to negotiations, which the union temporarily suspended during the voting process.
Negotiations between Air Canada and CUPE began earlier this year but broke down in July. Whether the two sides can bridge their differences before the union’s strike window opens will likely determine if passengers face cancellations or delays in the weeks ahead.
