Air Canada has confirmed the ratification of its 10th and final labor agreement with its Canadian unions, it said in a statement. “This completes Air Canada’s current cycle of labor negotiations and establishes long-term contracts extending in most cases over a 10-year duration for all of its 25,000 unionized employees in Canada,” it said.
Air Canada president and CEO Calin Rovinescu said, “The ratification of new labor contracts by all of Air Canada’s unionized employees in Canada over the past year-and-a-half is an unprecedented achievement that recognizes the important contribution of our employees and underscores the transformative change that has taken place at Air Canada. The ratifications of these agreements—10 in total—provide long-term contracts for our employees and are landmarks in the history of Air Canada. Their conclusion brings added stability and flexibility to support long-term and profitable growth of benefit for all stakeholders.”
According to a company statement, members of Unifor—representing the airline’s 88 inflight crew schedulers—became the 10th and final bargaining unit representing Air Canada’s unionized employees in Canada to have ratified a new contract on long-term collective agreement terms.
This follows other ratifications in the past two weeks of new contracts, also on collective agreement terms for 10 years, for members of two bargaining units of the IAMAW, representing a total of 300 finance and clerical staff.
In February, flight dispatchers represented by CALDA ratified a 12-year contract, following 10-year contracts ratified by members of the IAMAW, representing Air Canada’s 8,500 technical, maintenance, airport ramp and cargo personnel; CUPE, representing the airline’s 7,500 flight attendants; and ACPA, representing its 3,300 pilots.
In 2015, members of Unifor, representing the airline’s 4,200 customer service and sales agents in Canada, ratified a five-year contract and provisions have been negotiated to conclude collective agreement terms for another five years.
The airline also has new contracts in place with the two largest unions representing its employjavascript:void('H1')ees outside of Canada—the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, representing its US unionized workforce; and UNITES, representing its UK unionized workforce.