Oh my, seize your popcorn…
Air Canada flight attendants defy Canadian authorities
For a number of months, Air Canada flight attendants have been in negotiations for a brand new contract. The state of affairs actually escalated over the previous week.
Earlier within the week, the Canadian Union of Public Staff (CUPE), which represents Air Canada’s roughly 10,000 flight attendants, issued a 72-hour strike warning. Air Canada administration responded by issuing a flight attendant lockout discover, that means that each one Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights can be canceled as of Saturday, August 16, 2025.
Certainly, all flights ended up being canceled yesterday. Nevertheless, the Canadian authorities rapidly stepped in. Patty Hajdu, Canada’s Minister of Jobs and Households, exercised her authorities underneath part 107 of the Canada Labour Code, to compel the 2 events to enter binding arbitration with the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB).
That is what Air Canada administration was calling for all alongside, whereas the union was against this, because it implies that members wouldn’t have the ability to vote on a brand new contract. With the federal government’s plan for binding arbitration, it meant that Air Canada may resume operations as of 2PM EDT in the present day, Sunday, August 17, 2025…
…or so the federal government and Air Canada administration thought? Air Canada has now suspended its plan to renew operations, after it claims the union “illegally directed its flight attendant members to defy” the order to return to work. Now Air Canada claims it is going to resume operations as of the night of Monday, August 18, 2025, although let’s see how that performs out.
Earlier in the present day, a union consultant acknowledged that “our membership are usually not going again to work,” claiming the “complete course of has been unfair,” and that the union plans to problem what it calls an unconstitutional order. “Air Canada has actually refused to discount with us and so they refused to discount with us as a result of they knew this authorities would are available in on their white horse and attempt to save the day.”
I’m curious to see how this all performs out…
I’m no knowledgeable on Canadian labor legal guidelines, however this certain looks as if an exceptionally messy state of affairs. You’ve got an organization and a union at struggle, then you have got the federal government attempt to step in, after which you have got the union declare that the federal government is appearing unconstitutionally. A couple of ideas:
- I’m curious what punishment flight attendants may face for defying these orders, both with the corporate or with the federal government
- If the union plans to problem the federal government’s declare, then this doesn’t look like one thing that’s going to be resolved in a short time, so I wouldn’t rely on Air Canada resuming operations very quickly
- This is likely one of the messiest airline labor contract disputes that we’ve seen in… a really very long time? I can’t assist however marvel if issues will return to regular when that is all finished, or if the unhealthy blood will final for a very long time
I’ve gotta say, I’m a bit puzzled by Canada’s labor legal guidelines right here. On the one hand, Canada has far more labor-friendly insurance policies by way of really letting airline workers go on strike, in contrast to in america, the place it’s very near unattainable.
However then on the similar time, if airline workers go on strike, the federal government can simply use its authorities underneath part 107 of the Canada Labour Code, which provides the federal government broad discretionary powers to intervene in labor disputes to keep up or safe industrial peace. That appears to take a whole lot of rights away from workers, no? It’s mainly like “you have got the correct to go on strike, except we don’t really feel like permitting you to.”
Backside line
On Saturday, Air Canada flight attendants went on strike, as a part of a bitter contract dispute. Inside a day, the Canadian authorities stepped in to attempt to cease the strike, and drive administration and the union into binding arbitration. With this, flight attendants have been imagined to return to work as of this afternoon, although the union is defying that order, claims it’s unconstitutional, and flight attendants will stay on strike…
How do you see this dispute enjoying out?
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