Oh my, grab your popcorn…
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Air Canada flight attendants defy Canadian government
For several months, Air Canada flight attendants have been in negotiations for a new contract. The situation really escalated over the past week.
Earlier in the week, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents Air Canada’s roughly 10,000 flight attendants, issued a 72-hour strike warning. Air Canada management responded by issuing a flight attendant lockout notice, meaning that all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights would be canceled as of Saturday, August 16, 2025.
Indeed, all flights ended up being canceled yesterday. However, the Canadian government quickly stepped in. Patty Hajdu, Canada’s Minister of Jobs and Families, exercised her authorities under section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, to compel the two parties to enter binding arbitration with the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB).
This is what Air Canada management was calling for all along, while the union was opposed to this, since it means that members wouldn’t be able to vote on a new contract. With the government’s plan for binding arbitration, it meant that Air Canada could resume operations as of 2PM EDT today, Sunday, August 17, 2025…
…or so the government and Air Canada management thought? Air Canada has now suspended its plan to resume 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 will resume operations as of the evening of Monday, August 18, 2025, though let’s see how that plays out.
Earlier today, a union representative stated that “our membership are not going back to work,” claiming the “whole process has been unfair,” and that the union plans to challenge what it calls an unconstitutional order. “Air Canada has really refused to bargain with us and they refused to bargain with us because they knew this government would come in on their white horse and try and save the day.”
I’m curious to see how this all plays out…
I’m no expert on Canadian labor laws, but this sure seems like an exceptionally messy situation. You have a company and a union at war, then you have the government try to step in, and then you have the union claim that the government is acting unconstitutionally. A few thoughts:
- I’m curious what punishment flight attendants could face for defying these orders, either with the company or with the government
- If the union plans to challenge the government’s claim, then this doesn’t seem like something that’s going to be resolved very quickly, so I wouldn’t count on Air Canada resuming operations very soon
- This is one of the messiest airline labor contract disputes that we’ve seen in… a very long time? I can’t help but wonder if things will go back to normal when this is all done, or if the bad blood will last for a long time
I’ve gotta say, I’m a bit puzzled by Canada’s labor laws here. On the one hand, Canada has much more labor-friendly policies in terms of actually letting airline employees go on strike, unlike in the United States, where it’s very close to impossible.
But then at the same time, if airline employees go on strike, the government can just use its authorities under section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, which gives the government broad discretionary powers to intervene in labor disputes to maintain or secure industrial peace. That seems to take a lot of rights away from employees, no? It’s basically like “you have the right to go on strike, unless we don’t feel like allowing you to.”
Bottom line
On Saturday, Air Canada flight attendants went on strike, as part of a bitter contract dispute. Within a day, the Canadian government stepped in to try and stop the strike, and force management and the union into binding arbitration. With this, flight attendants were supposed to return to work as of this afternoon, though the union is defying that order, claims it’s unconstitutional, and flight attendants will remain on strike…
How do you see this dispute playing out?
If the government gets a court order to force the flight attendants back to work, can the courts also order Air Canada to pay them for groundwork? Surely, Canadian judges will define "work" as something you get paid to do. So the solution is obvious. Either pay them for groundwork, or let gate agents and pilots load passengers and then let the FAs know when it is time to close the doors and start work. And on arrival, they are the first to leave.
Oh, Canuckistan!
One union local official quoted by CBC: "To legislate us back to work 12 hours after we started? I'm sorry, snowstorms have shut down Air Canada for longer than we were allowed to strike."
As someone who is generally pro-union, I support the flight attendants. Sometimes some different union demands are unrealistic and I roll my eyes but I’ll vote for a union any day. With that said, the union brought up a really great point. For the government to order them back to work 12 hours after striking is ridiculous. The union stated snowstorms have brought AC to a standstill longer than 12 hours. This kind of just...
As someone who is generally pro-union, I support the flight attendants. Sometimes some different union demands are unrealistic and I roll my eyes but I’ll vote for a union any day. With that said, the union brought up a really great point. For the government to order them back to work 12 hours after striking is ridiculous. The union stated snowstorms have brought AC to a standstill longer than 12 hours. This kind of just proves their point that management and the government were in bed together from the beginning. Reading online that there are rumblings of a nationwide general strike amongst all unions to show support and I don’t blame them. Regardless of your opinion of unions, the fact that government and mega companies have such cozy relationships is not good. We may be a lost cause in America but everywhere else needs to stop the corporate take over of governments so governments can actually govern with a people first mindset over corporate first mindset.
Nailed it.
again, Canada should have thought about putting so much of the market in the hands of Air Canada - and not had to resort to shutting down worker rights to keep the country moving.
flights from US cities along the northern border including BUF, SYR plus major hubs like SEA and DTW are running full. Canadians are driving across the border to get in/out of Canada.
remember that a big part of AC's business plan...
again, Canada should have thought about putting so much of the market in the hands of Air Canada - and not had to resort to shutting down worker rights to keep the country moving.
flights from US cities along the northern border including BUF, SYR plus major hubs like SEA and DTW are running full. Canadians are driving across the border to get in/out of Canada.
remember that a big part of AC's business plan is to siphon off US passengers going to Europe and Asia so the US carriers are getting those passengers back.
Here's the thing: there are 100 applicants per stewardess job.
It's an unskilled job, and the current crop of stewardesses are, on average, terrible at it.
Fire all of them and start over.
Thank you, Elon.
While I support what the flight attendants not wanting to do unpaid work, this strike is devasting to me personally. I have not seen my family in two years. I am less than two weeks away from seeing them and now I won't be able to because of the strike. I have spent the last 4 days crying my eyes out. Just go back to bloody work!!!!
Wait a second! I thought the govt controls us. They know better than parents. They make all the rules!
You mean Canada isn’t China, Russia, Iran. Canada you need to start the executions for not listening to your almighty word
Play stupid games win stupid prizes. Known for mediocre at best service, AC Flight attendants are showing their hubris in a declining economy with declining bookings and declining profits where the general population doesn’t have much sympathy. Most workers would love the offer on the table. But not the obtuse union in Canada.
For those who suggest that other ailrines can "take up some of the slack".... no. How will porter replace AC's service at dozens of airports where they have no presence? AC is a de facto flag carrier and they have many routes with no competitors, often to small centres. The weekly AC flight is sometimes the only alternative to the bus. This is why the government wants to end this thing quickly. But infuriating the...
For those who suggest that other ailrines can "take up some of the slack".... no. How will porter replace AC's service at dozens of airports where they have no presence? AC is a de facto flag carrier and they have many routes with no competitors, often to small centres. The weekly AC flight is sometimes the only alternative to the bus. This is why the government wants to end this thing quickly. But infuriating the flight attendants on Day 1, before talks even begin, is just stupid.
There's no point looking at this through a legalistic "allowed/forbidden" lens. There is no ICE to arrest FAs and punish them. Minister Hajdu overplayed her hand and now she has a worse problem than before. She will have to grant 100% amnesty to all defiant FAs who refused the order to return to work; that will be table stakes to begin discussions, and she knows it. Negotiations will now be more heated than they already...
There's no point looking at this through a legalistic "allowed/forbidden" lens. There is no ICE to arrest FAs and punish them. Minister Hajdu overplayed her hand and now she has a worse problem than before. She will have to grant 100% amnesty to all defiant FAs who refused the order to return to work; that will be table stakes to begin discussions, and she knows it. Negotiations will now be more heated than they already were. The mediator has a more difficult job now, because the Minister was trigger happy, trying to make sure her colleagues could get around the country and hoover up all the R space LOL. This thing should have been allowed to let off steam a few days. Open the door now, Minister, and let the adults in.
I would prefer that the flight attendants be allowed to strike. If the Canadian government is ordering a halt to the strike, it undermines the bargaining power of the union.
I don’t think the union — or Air Canada — should necessarily get what they want, but the natural consequences need to play out without interruption.
The flight attendants should be able to strike in pursuit of higher pay and better benefits — and of...
I would prefer that the flight attendants be allowed to strike. If the Canadian government is ordering a halt to the strike, it undermines the bargaining power of the union.
I don’t think the union — or Air Canada — should necessarily get what they want, but the natural consequences need to play out without interruption.
The flight attendants should be able to strike in pursuit of higher pay and better benefits — and of course go without pay. Actions have consequences.
Air Canada shouldn’t have to pay the flight attendants — and they should also suffer the financial consequences of grounded flights as long as a new contract remains unratified. Actions have consequences.
The law seems clear — the flight attendants in Canada have the right to strike. The proper procedure and notice was given. The government has no basis for ordering a return to work, no matter how inconvenient it may be.
Canadians will be undoubtably inconvenienced.
But there is spare airline capacity in Canada (WestJet, Porter, Flair), as well as Air Canada regional feeder flights. (Per Wikipedia: the feeder flights “connect smaller cities with Air Canada's domestic hub airports and focus cities, although they offer some point-to-point and international service to the United States.”)
So the impact is unpleasant but manageable.
As a point of reference WestJet load factor for August 2023 was 89.6%
WestJet is smaller than Air Canada.
Porter and Flair are tiny in comparison
There is not much spare capacity.
When a supposedly worker-friendly, "liberal" government forces striking workers into binding arbitration with a monopolistic private company that the government itself helped to create, you know why workers look to immigrant hating snake oil salespeople to save them.
Also fire all the pilots too and let the passengers fly the plane if they are so desperate to go on a trip
Tim Dunn should take over. He would fix everything.
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Correct. Also applies to any individual rights and freedoms in Canada. Canadians have rights and freedoms unless and until the governments doesn't feel like allowing you to. Like during Covid or more recent climate lockdowns.
Let's relitigate COVID restrictions. I hate masks.
Amazing. Good on them.
Bring AC management to their knees
CUPE has resources to drag this out, glad they didn't roll over to corporate greed calling their mommy for help.
No pay or benefits for them until they return to work. Fire all of them if they refuse to return to work within the next 24 hours.
Yes!!!!! Fire them all.
That would finally be the end of AC.
Noone gets pay or benefits during a strike, but CUPE has deep pockets for a long strike pay payout to their members.
Arrest them all then. Throw them in the Alligator Alcatraz in Florida. Trump is coming.
But then Air Canada has no flight attendants! And then they are gonna go out of business. You idiot, that's not how it's gonna be solved. Air Canada is trying to cause the least disruption possible. Firing 10,000 people isn't gonna do that!
Jacob is just trolling you at this point.
Short term pain. They can hire answer train new people in 2-3 weeks. They should do it. Free the current Air Canada flight attendants from the bondage of their current slavery jobs. Fire them.
Are you stupid or simply ignorant? Workers on strike don't get paid - they only get strike pay from their union.
You cannot fire employees (or otherwise retaliate) for exercising their right to strike in the US or Canada. The very notion of such a thing is why unions got so strong.
Unions aren't very strong in North America, but go on, missy.
Tell that to the PATCO air traffic controllers.