Air Canada flight attendants vote to strike if agreement not reached, union says

More than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants are poised for a possible strike later this month after members voted in favour of strike action, according to the union representing the flight attendants. 

The Air Canada Component of CUPE said in a press release Tuesday that after months of negotiation on a new contract, no agreement has been reached on key issues such as wages, work rules and unpaid hours. 

Members voted 99.7 per cent in favour of strike action if necessary, according to the union, which represents flight attendants at Air Canada and its leisure service, Air Canada Rouge.

“The company would rather drag their feet than negotiate on the things that matter to our members,” said division president Wesley Lesosky in a press release. “Now, flight attendants have had a chance to weigh in and tell the company it’s time to get serious about negotiating.”

A strike vote indicates that members are prepared to go on strike, but doesn’t necessarily mean a strike will occur. The union stated that it could issue a 72-hour strike notice as early as Aug. 16 if an agreement isn’t reached. 

Air Canada acknowledged the result of the strike vote in a statement, and said that this is a “normal step in the negotiation process.”

“Air Canada remains committed to the bargaining process and is eager to resume discussions, which CUPE had suspended during the vote,” the company stated. 

“Air Canada firmly believes that there is more than enough time to reach such an agreement and avoid disrupting the plans of hundreds of thousands of travellers.”

The union has been negotiating with Air Canada over a new contract for flight attendants following the expiration of the previous 10-year contract. 

Wages, unpaid work are key issues

CUPE did not outline specifics on what the union is looking to receive in the new contract, but said that wages have not kept up with inflation. According to the union, entry-level Air Canada flight attendants only earn $3 more per hour now than they did 25 years ago, despite a 169 per cent increase in inflation in that time. 

Flight attendants are also only paid for the hours between takeoff and landing, instead of being paid starting from when they arrive for work. CUPE argues that this doesn’t take into account the work they perform during safety checks, boarding and deplaning, and when they prepare the plane for passengers and assist passengers prior to or after flights.

“While the airline continues to slap junk fees on flyers and gouge the public, they’re also exploiting their own employees by severely underpaying flight attendants or refusing to pay them at all for safety-critical aspects of our jobs,” Lesosky said. 

“Air Canada has raked billions in profits in the past few years. They can afford to pay us fairly without raising costs for the public.”

Air Canada reported operating revenues of more than $22 billion in 2024, a two per cent increase compared to the previous year.