Union representing Air Canada's flight attendants files for conciliation as talks stall

Sammy Hudes · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 14, 2025 2:44 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

The national representing Air Canada formation attendants says it has filed for conciliation with the national labour curate aft reaching an impasse successful declaration negotiations with the airline.

The Air Canada constituent of CUPE, which represents 10,000 Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge formation attendants, said its apical precedence is boosting compensation, noting an entry-level full-time wage is astir $1,951 per month.

Its erstwhile declaration with the airline, which had been successful effect since 2015, expired successful March.

"Everything has changed since 2015, but the institution refuses to admit reality," said national president Wesley Lesosky successful a property release.

"Our workloads person soared, the outgo of surviving has skyrocketed beyond belief, and our moving conditions are getting
worse by the day. The presumption quo won't chopped it."

The national besides wants to adjacent what it calls loopholes successful the Canada Labour Code that it says let airlines to unit formation attendants to enactment an mean of 35 hours per period without pay.

It said its members implicit definite tasks without compensation, specified arsenic boarding and deplaning, assisting passengers with mobility issues, and performing pre-flight information checks.

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In a statement, Air Canada spokeperson Peter Fitzpatrick said the hose plans to enactment with the national mediation and conciliation work to scope a woody that "recognizes our formation attendants' valued contributions to Air Canada."

"Air Canada has a agelong past of palmy labour relations and fruitful negotiations with its employees, arsenic has again
been demonstrated successful the caller past," helium said.

"The federally mandated conciliation process volition hap implicit the coming months, truthful customers tin proceed to publication and question connected Air Canada with afloat confidence."

Fitzpatrick declined to remark connected specifics related to ongoing negotiations regarding compensation, but said the exemplary presently successful spot is accordant with that astatine astir planetary carriers.

"That said, we are surely unfastened to sermon this point with the national arsenic portion of a much wide speech astir overall
compensation successful our declaration talks," helium said.

Once a national conciliation serviceman is appointed, determination volition beryllium a 60-day play for them to enactment with the hose and national followed by a three-week cooling-off period.

The national said if determination is nary statement reached by then, it whitethorn springiness 72-hours' announcement of occupation enactment aft a onslaught ballot has been taken.