Air Canada Announces New Deal With Union, Ending Massive Strike

Air Canada has confirmed that they have reached a deal with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the organization conducting a huge strike against the airline.

On Saturday, the CUPE began a strike with over 10,000 flight attendants, crippling Air Canada's ability to take to the air. The airline quickly turned to the federal government, hoping to receive assistance, and the government agreed– the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) was given the final say, with the board issuing a back-to-work order by Sunday afternoon.

However, the union defied the order, instructing flight attendants to stay on strike. This resulted in hundreds of additional cancelations, and Air Canada was still unable to restart operations– in total, the airline canceled around 2,500 flights in under a week, affecting over 500,000 customers. The CUPE was clear, though, that they would not back down until a deal was reached, even if their union leaders were prosecuted. Read more into the initial story here.

After defying another back-to-work order on Monday, the union finally entered talks with Air Canada over a new deal to increase wages for flight attendants. The airline, scrambling to find a way to resume operations, agreed to the union's demands, the most significant of which was paying flight attendants for their time on the ground.

Currently, flight attendants are paid relatively low wages, with a starting salary of around $25 to $30, but attendants with seniority can achieve wages as high as $70 to $90 depending on the airline. Furthermore, they only begin being paid once the aircraft doors close, meaning that their crucial assistance in the boarding process is largely unpaid.

Several years ago, Delta Air Lines became the first carrier to begin paying flight attendants boarding pay, with American and Alaska Airlines following suit. Now, Air Canada has become the latest to provide such a benefit to its employees.

While the contract has not been completely finalized yet, the union will bring all 10,000 flight attendants back to work immediately, as ordered by Air Canada. Nevertheless, the airline has confirmed that it may take up to a week to fully restore operations, and some flights may continue to be canceled throughout the next few days.

Air Canada is offering full refunds or free rebooking on other airlines in case of a cancelation, and they have urged customers to check their flight's status before arriving at the airport to avoid a major inconvenience.

Meanwhile, union leaders continue to face criticism for their actions. The CIRB has described the strike as "illegal" after they gave the final say in the case, which the CUPE ignored. Additionally, due to the fact that their decision went against a government order, they could be prosecuted for their actions in the near future.

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