Air Canada's flight attendants could strike in the new year, particularly if they can't get their employer to rectify central issues with their current contract.
The Air Canada Component of CUPE represents 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge. Its members will be in a legal position to strike after the expiration of their collective agreement with the airline on Mar. 31, 2025.
The airline's flight attendants aren't getting paid for the work they complete before they board an aircraft and only about half their wages for training hours, Wesley Lesosky, President of the Air Canada Component of CUPE told V.I.A.
Air Canada struck a deal with its pilots union on the eve of a looming strike in September, improving several components of an outdated, 10-year contract that fell short of its U.S. counterparts in key issues such as wages and retirement plans.
"I hope the company understands we are looking at the same type of deal," he says. "We are looking at wage increases, pension improvements, and work improvement."
However, the union aims to reach an agreement with Air Canada as soon as possible without involving the government or taking job action, Lesosky adds.
Air Canada's pay structure hasn't changed to reflect changes in the economy
The flight attendants have also been locked into a 10-year deal with the airline, meaning they haven't seen wage increases commensurate with changes to their workload.
The pay structure also hasn't always reflected Canada's increasing minimum wage. In 2014, Ontario's minimum wage was $11 an hour.
Lesosky says flight attendants aren't paid their full, hourly wage for annual training hours; they make about half the amount. Until 2018, junior flight attendants weren't making minimum wage for training hours. They filed a grievance to have their wage increased above minimum wage.
"That's why we are seeing historic wage increases," he comments, pointing to the pilot's union's latest agreement with the airline.
Air Canada was focused on stability when it locked into a 10-year deal with the flight attendants. However, the cost of living has significantly increased over the last decade and the cabin crew's duties have changed, the union's leader explains.
"With COVID everything ramped up," he added, noting increased duties for flight attendants.
Airline attendants say many of their duties are unpaid
According to CUPE’s Airline Division, which represents approximately 18,500 flight attendants across Canada, flight attendants do an average of 35 hours of unpaid work monthly.
Bill C-409 has been tabled in the House of Commons and aims to end unpaid work in the airline industry. The bill emphasizes that flight attendants are tasked with the "safety and comfort of passengers and security of the plane itself on the ground and at 25,000 feet."
Lesosky underscores that some flight attendants' most important and complex duties are performed in uniform, for free. Pre-flight activities, including identifying aircraft needs (such as de-icing or propeller abnormalities), safety checks (checking extinguishers, smoke hoods, and more), and ensuring that services are ready for passengers, including the laboratories and catering equipment, are completed without pay.
"Unpaid work won't fly," he remarks.
If a flight is delayed, flight attendants aren't paid for the time they spend waiting. The airline may send them home if a flight is cancelled but they could be on call for a later shift.
CUPE wants improved working conditions, particularly for "rest provisions" between lengthy flight reassignments.
Lesosky says the flight reassignment process is somewhat complicated but proves stressful for employees looking to plan their weeks. It also makes having a second job impossible, meaning people looking to boost low wages have little recourse.
Can flight attendants strike immediately after their Air Canada contract expires?
Air Canada's flight attendants must go through a process with their employer after the contract expires before they can legally strike.
The union must go through collective bargaining with the airline. If an agreement isn't made, a conciliator will be appointed under the Canada Labour Code. If one isn't, the parties will enter a 60-day "cooling period."
Union members must vote to strike and issue a 72-hour notice before job action.
Air Canada narrowly avoided traveller chaos when it reached a tentative contract with its pilots' union in mid-September. The four-year agreement was officially ratified this week, retroactive to Sept. 30, 2023.
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