More than 100,000 Air Canada passengers were affected when the airline canceled 623 flights due to the risk of a flight attendant strike.
The Canada Public Employees Union (CUPE), which represents 10,000 caregivers, has issued a 72-hour strike notice and is allowed to stop work from 0:01 on August 16.
Air Canada said that the airline has begun to reduce operations to deal with the scenario of a strike that could cause a complete suspension of services. On average, the airline transports about 130,000 passengers per day, hundreds of which were canceled before the negotiation deadline ended.
The reason for the strike stemmed from the request for salary increases and payment for work that was not paid for, including the time to support passengers during boarding the plane.
According to Rafael Gomez, Director of the Labor Relations Center, University of Toronto, the fact that receptionists are paid only by flight time is a common reality in the industry. However, the union has built an effective communication campaign, creating an unfair image in the eyes of the public.
Mr. Gomez commented: An ordinary passenger can think that when the flight attendant assists them when boarding a plane, they are working but are not getting paid. This is an issue that easily creates empathy".
Air Canada said in a statement that according to the latest proposal, a senior flight attendant can achieve an average income of $65,000 in 2027. However, CUPE believes that this proposal is under inflation and below market value.
The union also rejected a proposal from the federal government and Air Canada to take the dispute to an independent arbitration panel.
Mr. Gomez predicted that if a strike occurred, the incident would not last long, because this was the peak period and the airline did not want to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. He described the situation as a born-fought game between the board and the hostess.
