Air Canada’s unionized flight attendants launched a strike early Saturday after contract talks with the country’s largest carrier broke down, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and stranding more than 100,000 passengers.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents over 10,000 cabin crew, confirmed the walkout in a social media post around 1 a.m. ET. It marks the first strike by Air Canada flight attendants since 1985, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
The dispute centers on pay conditions, with attendants currently only compensated when the plane is moving. The union has been pushing for pay to include time spent on the ground assisting passengers. Air Canada said it had offered a 38% compensation increase over four years, including a 25% raise in the first year, but the union rejected the proposal as insufficient.
The airline anticipated canceling around 500 flights by the end of Friday, affecting about 100,000 passengers during the peak summer travel season. Travelers faced chaos at airports, with many scrambling for rebookings. “Probably 10 minutes prior to boarding, our gate got changed and then it was cancelled,” said passenger Freddy Ramos, 24, at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Air Canada has asked Prime Minister Mark Carney’s minority Liberal government to order binding arbitration, a step the union opposes. Under Canada’s Labour Code, Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu can ask the Industrial Relations Board to impose arbitration in the interest of protecting the economy.
The strike comes as Canadian businesses, already struggling with a trade dispute with the United States, press Ottawa to intervene. Analysts at TD Cowen warned that prolonged disruption could outweigh any cost savings, writing, “Not budging on negotiations risks being a Pyrrhic victory.”
