Air Canada flight attendants will take their fight for better pay and working conditions to the picket lines today, staging coordinated demonstrations at four of Canada’s busiest airports.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) says the national day of action will see flight attendants protesting at Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Vancouver International Airport, and Calgary International Airport, all starting at 1 p.m. ET.
The union says the demonstrations aim to spotlight “poverty wages” and unpaid work performed during periods when planes are on the ground but not in flight.
CUPE’s Air Canada component resumed bargaining talks with the airline on Friday, after members voted overwhelmingly — 99.7 per cent — in favour of a strike mandate last week. This opens the door to a potential walkout as early as Aug. 16 at 12:01 a.m., pending the required 72-hour strike notice.
Negotiations between the airline and the union have been ongoing since the start of the year but reached an impasse after a conciliation process failed to produce an agreement.