UPDATE:
Following yesterday’s Air Transat Flight Attendant strike mandate, both CUPE and Air Transat issued assurances that a strike will be averted.
Andréan Gagné, a spokesperson for the Montreal-based airline, said that a strike mandate for a union is a normal part of negotiations and said the airline is "confident we will find an agreement."
"The tone at the bargaining table remains cordial and respectful, and discussions are progressing well on both parties' respective demands," Gagné told CBC News in a statement. "Transat maintains excellent working relations with its employees and CUPE, and intends to make every effort to find an agreement that will satisfy both parties."
Original Story:
The labour union representing 2,100 flight attendants at Air Transat has announced that its members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of authorizing a strike if a new contract cannot be reached with the airline. According to the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the flight attendants supported the strike mandate with a 99.8% majority.
Dominic Levasseur, the president of the Air Transat component of CUPE, emphasized the crucial nature of the upcoming negotiations. While Levasseur acknowledged the possibility of reaching a new contract without resorting to a strike, he noted that the union's members have high expectations and are highly motivated.
"More than 50% of them have been forced to take on a second or even a third job to make ends meet, and their starting salary is only CAD $26,577 per year," said Levasseur.
Reuters reports that the strike mandate comes after 33 negotiation sessions and reflects the flight attendants' exceptionally high dissatisfaction with their working conditions, particularly wages and purchasing power.
Should a strike occur, set to be legally permissible from 03JAN 2024, as per the Canadian Labour Code, the union has stated that all flights are expected to be cancelled, according to their official statement.
According to The Canadian Press, the collective agreement for flight attendants based at airports in Montreal and Toronto expired on 31OCT 2022.
As Open Jaw reported, pilots have also pushed for better wages, contributing to the number of Canadian pilots looking to work in the U.S., which tripled over the course of 2022, reports Reuters. The figures, which come from previously unreleased U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data, come amid staff shortages and labour action from pilots across Canada.
