Air Canada is set to initiate a series of flight cancellations amid escalating tensions with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents approximately 10,000 flight attendants. As of this writing, CUPE has sent a 72-hour strike notice. In retaliation, Air Canada declared a lockout, forcing the cancellation of 15 domestic flights on Thursday morning. As the chaos continues to grow, the airline now plans to cancel as many as 500 flights by the end of Friday. What’s more, a full system shutdown is expected to begin as early as this Saturday.
A member of the Star Alliance, Air Canada collaborates with 25 international carriers. Combined, these partnerships create a new level of seamless connecting flights and traveler support. The ongoing labor dispute threatens to disrupt travel plans for tens of thousands of passengers, including around 25,000 Canadians returning home from abroad daily.
Background of the Dispute
The continuing dispute between Air Canada and CUPE has focused almost entirely on compensation and related issues. The union argues that flight attendants should be paid for all time worked, including when planes are on the ground. Wesley Lesosky, a representative from CUPE, highlighted the diligent efforts of their internal team. “It’s nine months of rocking solid, data-proven proposals on wages and on off the clock work that are all rooted in fairness and industry standards,” he continued.
Air Canada officials say they’re disappointed by CUPE’s behaviour. CUPE strike Arielle Meloul-Wechsler stated that she was “deeply disappointed” by CUPE’s strike. She says these actions have unpredictable and potentially harmful effects on hundreds of thousands of customers in Canada. In response, the airline argues they’ve reached the table with good faith offers but are truly at impasse on essential equitable topics.
Air Canada chief executive Mark Nasr underscored the complexity of the airline’s business. He said, “Air Canada is a very complicated ecosystem. This complexity brings added layers of complexity in planning and rescheduling flights during such critical disruptions.
Impact on Travelers
And the impact of the developing situation is much more than simply Air Canada. At the time of publication on Thursday morning, the airline had still managed to effectively operate routes enough to not yet have canceled any international flights. With hundreds of predicted flight cancellations, they’re causing a huge crisis for passengers flying to and from Canada. The ripple effect would extend to travelers already booked on flights through other Star Alliance partners, making travel miserable for thousands of passengers.
The airline industry is making hay this summer, a historic peak travel season. Air Canada says at this point it would be too late anyway as other carriers have already maxed out capacity with the summer travel peak. Consequently, adding new capacity will require time and perhaps not be feasible in the immediate future. Indeed, this announcement underscores the challenges travelers will encounter in rerouting when their flights are canceled, let alone when they must find other accommodations.
Union members have made it clear where they stand during this labor battle. Their signs read variations on the theme “UnfAir Canada,” or “Poverty wages = UnCanadian.” Flight attendants know that underneath the catchy slogans lies legitimate frustrations with their pay and working conditions.
Potential Resolution
Even with the deepening violence, there is still a positive way forward. Patty Hajdu, the Minister of Employment, encouraged the parties to settle. She continued, “I ask for both parties to put politics and posturing aside…return to the negotiating table—and deliver it now for the thousands of travelers waiting on you.”
While Air Canada and CUPE are at the bargaining table, both parties still appear lightyears away from meeting in the middle. The airline’s lockout would only add fuel to that fire. This misguided ruling has implications not only for flight attendants, but for passengers and our entire travel ecosystem.
