Air
Canada’s flight attendants have soundly rejected a proposed wage deal,
pushing the dispute into mediation, as they are no longer legally allowed to
strike.
On Saturday, the
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents cabin crews at both
Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, announced that 99.1 percent of members voted
against the company’s latest offer.
A tentative
agreement, reached on August 19, had ended a four-day
strike that disrupted travel for an estimated 500,000 passengers. The
strike went ahead despite federal efforts to intervene, forcing the airline
back into negotiations.
Under the
agreement, both sides committed to preventing further labor disruptions,
meaning there will be no strike or lockout while the wage issue is referred to
mediation. If mediation fails, the matter will proceed to arbitration.
The strike
highlighted ongoing calls from North American flight attendants to be paid for
their full workday, from clock-in to clock-out. Crews at Air Canada and many
U.S. airlines, including United, have criticized a pay system that largely
compensates them only for time spent in the air.
Air Canada said
the offer included pay for time spent working on the ground, plus broader
boosts to wages, pensions, and benefits.
Why Crews Said
‘No’
The tentative
deal called for wage hikes of up to 20 percent for entry-level attendants and
about 16 percent for more senior staff members. It also included 60 to 70
minutes of pre-flight pay, beginning at half the hourly rate and rising to 70
percent by year four.
The proposed four-year
contract would have given entry-level attendants about a 20 percent wage
increase, while more senior staff would see about 16 percent. It also included
additional pay for pre-flight duties — 60 minutes on smaller aircraft and 70
minutes on larger ones — starting at half the hourly rate and increasing to 70
percent by the fourth year.
Despite those
gains, many attendants told Reuters the deal simply didn’t keep pace with the
cost of living, particularly in cities like Toronto, where expenses are high.
Some said they’re juggling two or three jobs to make ends meet.
Sara Nelson,
international president of the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), said the
rejection sends a message beyond Canada. “The inspirational fight of the Air
Canada flight attendants is helpful and creates momentum,” she told Reuters,
noting that U.S. attendants at United recently turned down a similar deal over
the same concerns.
According to CUPE
president Mark Hancock, the proposed deal between Air Canada and the union was
brokered with the help of a mediator at a Toronto airport hotel, as criminal
charges loomed.
"My
understanding was the next day, if there was no deal, they would have gone to
the courts and sought criminal contempt, then charges and fines," Hancock
told Reuters. "It would have risen to the next level."
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