Flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge have overwhelmingly rejected the company’s latest wage offer, setting the stage for mediation.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents about 10,000 flight attendants, said 99.1 per cent of members voted against ratification, with turnout at 99.4 per cent.
“Air Canada never bargained in good faith on wages,” said Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada component of CUPE. “By CEO Michael Rousseau’s own admission, the company expected the federal government to intervene and take away the only leverage we had — our right to go on strike. Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu only waited 11 hours to prove the company right.”
The union argued that even with the proposed increase, flight attendants would earn less than the federal minimum wage of $17.75 per hour, or $2,840 a month based on a 40-hour workweek. CUPE said a full-time Rouge flight attendant would take home about $2,219 a month, while a mainline flight attendant would make $2,522.
“Full-time workers at a flagship corporation and the national air carrier should not be earning less than minimum wage and qualifying for income supports,” CUPE said in its statement.
Air Canada said the tentative agreement, reached Aug. 19, included “improvements to wages, pensions and benefits, while also including a mutually agreed-to modernization of compensation for work performed on the ground.”
The airline confirmed CUPE members voted down the deal but stressed that both sides had agreed in advance to send the wage issue to mediation, and if necessary, arbitration.
“No labour disruption could be initiated, and therefore there will be no strike or lockout, and flights will continue to operate,” the company said in its statement. “Air Canada is fully committed to the mediation and arbitration process.”
The carrier said the agreement contained no concessions from the union and thanked employees and customers for their patience, noting that the talks have been “challenging for all Air Canada stakeholders.”
CUPE said it did secure some partial pay for ground duties in this round of bargaining but added that the broader issue of recognizing the safety role of flight attendants and compensating them fairly remains unresolved.
