The union representing Air Canada flight attendants says it has filed for conciliation with the federal labour minister after reaching an deadlock in contract negotiations with the airline.
The Air Canada element of CUPE, which represents 10,000 Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants, mentioned its prime precedence is boosting compensation, noting an entry-level full-time wage is roughly $1,951 monthly.
Its earlier contract with the airline, which had been in impact since 2015, expired in March.
“Everything has changed since 2015, but the company refuses to acknowledge reality,” mentioned union president Wesley Lesosky in a press launch.
“Our workloads have soared, the cost of living has skyrocketed beyond belief, and our working conditions are gettingworse by the day. The status quo won’t cut it.”
The union additionally needs to shut what it calls loopholes within the Canada Labour Code that it says permit airways to drive flight attendants to work a mean of 35 hours monthly with out pay.
It mentioned its members full sure duties with out compensation, similar to boarding and deplaning, aiding passengers with mobility points, and performing pre-flight security checks.
WATCH | Air Canada flight attendants ponder strike:
Air Canada flight attendants ponder strike
CUPE represents 10,000 Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants who’re pushing to finish unpaid work as a part of ongoing labour negotiations with the airline, as their contract expires at the moment. Presently, attendants are solely paid for the time the airplane is within the air.
In a press release, Air Canada spokeperson Peter Fitzpatrick mentioned the airline plans to work with the federal mediation and conciliation service to succeed in a deal that “recognizes our flight attendants’ valued contributions to Air Canada.”
“Air Canada has a long history of successful labour relations and fruitful negotiations with its employees, as has againbeen demonstrated in the recent past,” he mentioned.
“The federally mandated conciliation process will occur over the coming months, so customers can continue to book and travel on Air Canada with full confidence.”
Fitzpatrick declined to touch upon specifics associated to ongoing negotiations concerning compensation, however mentioned the mannequin at the moment in place is in keeping with that at most international carriers.
“That said, we are certainly open to discuss this item with the union as part of a more general conversation about overallcompensation in our contract talks,” he mentioned.
As soon as a federal conciliation officer is appointed, there can be a 60-day interval for them to work with the airline and union adopted by a three-week cooling-off interval.
The union mentioned if there is no such thing as a settlement reached by then, it could give 72-hours’ discover of job motion after a strike vote has been taken.
