Air Canada cabin crew strike enters fourth day as negotiations restart

As the ongoing strike by Air Canada flight attendants entered fourth day on Tuesday, union said talks had resumed as hundreds of thousands of passengers continue to face cancellations during the busy summer travel period.

Tribune Online reports that Canada’s Jobs minister, Patty Hajdu, recently ordered the striking attendants to resume work.

He urged both sides to consider mediation and said the government will investigate claims of unpaid work in the airline industry, a long-running concern for flight attendants who argue they should be paid for tasks such as boarding passengers.

However, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has refused to comply with the federal labour board order, creating a standoff between the airline, the union, and the government.

The dispute is being closely watched by other labour groups.

CUPE said in a Facebook post late Monday that it had met with Air Canada and mediator William Kaplan in Toronto.

“The strike is still on,” the union said. It was the first contact between both sides since before the strike began. A source said discussions are underway about mediation, but only if flight attendants return to work.

Also, Air Canada’s CEO defended the airline’s offer of a 38% boost to total compensation in an interview with Reuters on Monday but admitted there is still a wide gap with union demands.

The union says the proposal amounts to only a 17.2% wage increase over four years.

CUPE’s leader has said he is willing to risk jail rather than allow crews to be forced back to work under the labour board’s ruling, which declared the strike unlawful.

The union maintains the walkout will continue until the company addresses wages and unpaid work.

The strike has already disrupted thousands of passengers.

According to Reuters, the government has several options to end the strike, including seeking a court order to enforce the return-to-work directive or pushing legislation through parliament. However, parliament is on break until mid-September and the minority government has so far been cautious.

Other labour groups have rallied behind CUPE. Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, said they are ready to join the strike if needed.

“All cards are on the table in terms of what unions are prepared to do to ramp up a fightback campaign,” she said, noting that help could include financial support for CUPE’s legal costs.

Air Canada’s pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots’ Association, also voiced support.

“Air Canada pilots support our flight attendant colleagues in their ongoing struggle to achieve the fair contract they have earned,” the union said. “This is an important moment for organized labor across Canada.”

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