TORONTO — The Air Canada component of CUPE, the union representing 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, has filed for conciliation with the federal minister of labour, citing an impasse with the airline.
“We’ve made fair, reasonable, and long overdue proposals, but the company appears to be dragging their feet and not taking the process seriously,” said Wesley Lesosky, a flight attendant with 24 years experience and President of the Air Canada Component of CUPE.
The contract, which has been in effect since 2015, expired on March 31, 2025.
Lesosky said: ”Everything has changed since 2015, but the company refuses to acknowledge reality. Our workloads have soared, the cost of living has skyrocketed beyond belief, and our working conditions are getting worse by the day. The status quo won’t cut it.”
The top issue for flight attendants is fair compensation. The union is negotiating to put an end to unpaid work, which it has been addressing through its Unfair Canada campaign since December 2024.
According to Lesosky, an entry-level flight attendant at Air Canada who works full-time earns $1,951.30 per month.
The union has also put forward what it says are reasonable proposals to improve scheduling and safety and fatigue provisions, retirement security, and working conditions, among others.
Once a federal conciliation officer is appointed, they will have up to 60 days to work with the parties. At the end of the conciliation period, the parties enter a mandatory 21-day cooling off period. If no agreement is reached by the end of the 21-day cooling off period, the union may give 72-hours notice of job action after a strike vote has been taken.
“WEʻRE ANTICIPATING THE SAME SORT OF OUTCOME”
Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, Air Canada’s EVP, Chief Human Resources Officer and Public Affairs, was asked about the CUPE negotiations during the airlineʻs Q1 conference call on May 9.
“We got through our pilot talks with no disruption [and] weʻre anticipating the same sort of outcome,” she said.
Air Canadaʻs negotiations with its pilots, represented by ALPA, came down to the wire in late summer 2024. Some 98% of Air Canada pilots had voted in favour of a strike, if necessary, and a strike HQ was set up in Toronto. The pilots were in a position for job action by mid-September, however the deal got done and was ratified in early October.
FREELAND NAMED MINISTER OF TRANSPORT
Yesterday after Prime Minister Carney announced the new federal cabinet appointments, ALPA Canada said it “looks forward to working with the newly appointed Minister of Transport Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hajdu, and Secretary of State (Labour) John Zerucelli.”
ALPA is the world’s largest pilot union and nongovernmental aviation safety organization, and represents more than 95% of Canada’s unionized professional pilots employed by 21 air carriers across Canada.
“Pilot input is critical to achieving the highest safety standards for Canada’s air transportation system, and it means a higher level of safety for both the aircrew and the travelling public. We encourage Minister Freeland to include ALPA Canada in any future discussions on Canada’s aviation regulatory framework and the implementation of any aviation-specific policies,” said Captain Tim Perry, President, ALPA Canada.
“We remain committed to collaborating with Minister Hajdu on reforms to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which should include ongoing consultation with the unions that represent employees impacted by the hiring of temporary foreign workers,” he added.
“We also look forward to having engagement with Secretary Zerucelli on safeguarding the collective bargaining process and preventing government intervention into it.”
