At Air Canada, the country’s largest airline, more than 10,000 flight attendants went on strike Saturday with a 99.7% vote in favor. Following the strike, the company decided to suspend all operations.
Canada’s Labour Minister Patty Hajdu instructed the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to order the cabin crew back to work. The government formally intervened in the process by invoking Article 107 of the Labour Code.
🔹662 flights were canceled (342 domestic, 320 international).
🔹86% of Air Canada flights and 96% of Rouge flights were canceled. Around 130,000 passengers are expected to be affected each day.
➡️ Demands and Offers:
Air Canada flight attendants are demanding a pay raise and compensation for the work they perform while aircraft are on the ground. The union argues that employees have long been underpaid and that despite the company’s high profits, flight attendants are not receiving their fair share.
In response, Air Canada offered a total pay increase of 38% over four years, with an hourly raise of 12% to 16% in the first year. However, the union considers this offer insufficient, stressing that the main issue is the lack of pay for time spent on the ground.
📌 To resolve the deadlock between the parties, the government appointed the CIRB as arbitrator. It is estimated that it could take 5–10 days for flights to return fully to normal.
