Air Canada will begin a phased wind-down of most operations over the next three days, after receiving a 72-hour strike notice from the union representing 10,000 of its flight attendants.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents cabin crew at both Air Canada and its subsidiary Air Canada Rouge, issued the notice earlier this week, raising the prospect of a labour disruption during peak summer travel season.
In response, Air Canada said it had issued its own mandatory 72-hour notice under Canadian labour regulations and will now begin scaling down flights to provide "certainty" to passengers.
Customers scheduled to fly between August 15 and August 18 will be able to change their flights without fees, the airline said, provided tickets were booked or Aeroplan points redeemed on or before August 13. Travel can be rescheduled to any date between August 21 and September 12.
If flights are cancelled, Air Canada said it would attempt to rebook affected passengers on the next available departures, including those operated by its network of over 120 domestic and international partners. However, the airline warned that limited seat availability may restrict options.
CUPE, which received a 99.7% strike mandate from its members earlier this month, said Air Canada’s offer fails to address fundamental issues including unpaid work and wages that fall below federal minimum wage.
The union also accused the airline of abandoning negotiations in favour of arbitration, which CUPE claims would eliminate members' democratic right to vote on the outcome.
“Everyone knows the best deals are negotiated at the bargaining table, not handed down by an outside third party,” said Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada Component of CUPE. “Air Canada wants an arbitrator to do their dirty work for them to keep the status quo intact.”
Lesosky said the airline’s offer would still leave new flight attendants earning less than the federal minimum wage, citing examples of junior staff earning $2,108.16 per month, compared to $2,840 for workers earning $17.75 per hour. The union said Air Canada’s proposal offers a 17.2% wage increase over four years, not 38% as the airline claims.
The airline acknowledged the inconvenience to passengers and thanked customers for their patience as it works to minimise disruption.