Air Canada flight attendants could announce the results of a strike vote as soon as today (05AUG).
The current contract for Air Canada flight attendants was negotiated in 2015 and expired at the end of March, 2025. Air Canada and CUPE have been in contract talks since the beginning of the year. A federal mediator was appointed to help, but no deal was reached.
As a result, members of the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees on 28JUL began voting on the authorization of a union strike vote. The voting is scheduled to end at 2 pm EDT on 05AUG, which means the results could be known later in the day.
If the vote is approved by members, which seems likely, the union could announce a strike as soon as 16AUG, although some published reports suggest they would first have to issue a 72-hour strike notice.
A flight attendants' strike would, of course, be a huge blow to consumers and would be difficult for the airline and union members.
CUPE, however, said approval of the strike vote wouldn’t necessarily mean a strike will take place or that service will be disrupted. “A strike is always the last option, and our goal is still to reach a new contract at the bargaining table,” a union spokesperson said recently.
The union, which represents more than 10,000 flight attendants, says it’s looking for an end to unpaid work.
Since the current contract was agreed to in 2015, the union says its members have lost “significant purchasing power” and that it is negotiating for higher wages and an “end to the abuse of unpaid work.”
The union said before, during and after their flights, flight attendants are required to perform “hours of unpaid mandatory” duties, including safety checks, boarding, deplaning and assisting passengers with special needs, Global News reports.
Air Canada on 25JUL said it “remains fully available to continue negotiations towards a fair and equitable collective agreement with CUPE that recognizes the contributions of its flight attendants and supports the competitiveness and long-term growth of the company.”
Unfortunately, the negotiations are taking place at a time when tariffs and lower cross-border demand has eroded revenues. It’s is rumoured that a management reorganization has been undertaken and that many managers have been stripped of their “senior” titles. Voluntary separation packages have also been offered.
Air Canada’s pilots nearly went on strike last year following a tough round of negotiations between the Air Line Pilots Association and the airline. LINK. A strike was averted at the last second, and a new collective agreement was ratified by pilots last October.
Pilots received a 42% pay hike over four years in last year’s deal, but that agreement came at a time when the Canadian airline industry was riding fairly high. With the Trump tariffs strongly impacting Canadian travel to the US, Air Canada recently announced its profits dropped significantly in the second quarter of this year, falling from $410 million in QW of 2024 to $186 million in Q2 of this year.
