Air Canada flight attendants will begin voting on strike authorization starting July 28, as contract negotiations between the union and the airline remain at an impasse.
The strike vote will run through August 5th and applies to over 10,000 flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). The union says the vote comes after months of “frustrating” bargaining with little progress made on key issues, including wages, scheduling, and working conditions.
CUPE and Air Canada began negotiations in April. The union says the talks were not productive, leading to the current push for a strike mandate. A successful vote would not necessarily trigger immediate job action, but would give the union leverage as mediation continues.
Air Canada said in a statement it remains committed to reaching a fair agreement and expressed confidence that a deal could be reached through the ongoing bargaining process.
The flight attendants’ current contract expired earlier this year. Their last strike threat came in 2011, which led to government intervention and a temporary suspension of the right to strike.
