As summer travel ramps up, contract talks between Air Canada and its 10,000 flight attendants are gaining urgency — and turbulence.
The airline’s flight attendants, represented by the Air Canada Component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), have been working without a contract since March 31. Now, with bargaining ongoing and further sessions scheduled into June, the union is doubling down on its push for fair wages and an end to unpaid labor.
“We’re at a breaking point,” said Wesley Lesosky, president of CUPE’s Air Canada Component, speaking on the union’s podcast. “Flight attendants are no longer interested in working for free.”
The current flashpoint? Compensation for work done on the ground. Most attendants are only paid while the aircraft is airborne — meaning they receive no pay for time spent boarding passengers, deplaning, or completing essential safety checks.
After a decade under the same agreement — one that included modest 2% annual wage hikes — union members are calling for substantial raises, improved working conditions, and scheduling reform.
Talks, which began in December, have so far avoided public friction. But with no deal yet in sight, concern is growing over the possibility of a future strike that could disrupt operations, especially at Toronto Pearson Airport — Air Canada’s busiest hub.
For now, both sides remain at the table, and union reps say job action is not imminent. Still, the message from the frontline is loud and clear: Respect us. Pay us. Or risk grounding Canada’s skies.