Air Canada reaches a deal to end flight attendant strike

The airline on Tuesday announced that it reached a mediated agreement with the union to end a strike that began over the weekend.

“Unpaid work is over. We have reclaimed our voice and our power,” the union said in a statement. “When our rights were taken away, we stood strong, we fought back — and we secured a tentative agreement that our members can vote on.”

The airline began canceling flights on Thursday after the Canadian Union of Public Employees, representing the striking flight attendants, sent a 72-hour notice to strike on Wednesday. Air Canada responded by issuing a 72-hour lockout notice. In its notice to strike, CUPE said Air Canada had “ceased to engage in meaningful dialogue,” which left the union no choice but to strike despite acknowledging the impact this move would have on the “long-anticipated vacations of the public.”

The Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered the 10,000 striking Air Canada flight attendants to return to work on Sunday. The board declared the strike unlawful, but CUPE did not comply with the order to direct its members back to work immediately. 

CUPE and Air Canada had been in negotiations for eight months, even at one point bringing in federal conciliators to help. On August 11, the airline tabled a revised proposal to CUPE that it said “sought no concessions in return from its Flight Attendants” and included a 38% total compensation increase over four years. It said it had offered the union to enter “third-party, binding arbitration” in order to finalize any outstanding issues. 

CUPE said Air Canada “refus[ed] to address critical issues,” including unpaid labor and wages. 

The airline also had requested government-directed arbitration. 

On Monday, the Canadian airline estimated about 500,000 customers’ flights had been canceled because of the strike and pulled its third-quarter and full-year guidance due to its continued suspended operations.

Flights will gradually restart Tuesday evening, but it could take seven to 10 days to resume regular service, Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau said in a statement. Meanwhile, some flights will be canceled until the schedule is stabilized.

– Hannah Parker contributed to this article