Air Canada passengers were left behind around the world on Monday as Air Canada flights were laid out on the premises after an employee of Canada’s largest airline left their jobs on Saturday. On Monday, the Canadian Labor and Management Committee (CIRB) determined that a strike by 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants was illegal and ordered them to return to work after ignoring previous directives to end the strike and enter into arbitration.
The labor agreement with Air Canada flight attendants expired on March 31st. After months of stagnant negotiations and unseen resolution, flight attendants began strike early Saturday morning. Within 12 hours, the Canadian government intervened and demanded that the CIRB impose binding arbitration. This is a dispute resolution process involving an arbitrator who will ultimately make a binding decision.
On Sunday, the CIRB issued an order to Air Canada flight attendants returning to work. However, the Canadian Civil Service Coalition (CUPE), which represents workers, refused to comply with Air Canada to abandon plans to resume operations that day. As a result, all scheduled flights were cancelled on Monday, and a strike was launched on the third day. All Air Canada flights have been cancelled starting Saturday, with last Thursday having cancelled flights.
“Members of the union’s negotiation force are instructed to resume their duties immediately and refrain from engaging in illegal strike activities,” the CIRB said in a written decision.
The board, an independent administrative court that interprets and applies Canadian labor laws, said the union must notify all members in writing by noon Monday that it must return to work.
Union Leader said, “We’ll stay strong.”
However, Cupe, representing 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada, refused to comply with the government’s directives issued.
Union National President Mark Hancock speaks with reporters outside Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Monday. Cupe remained open to negotiations, but emphasized that it would not waive its members’ rights to strike.
“If Air Canada thinks that the plane is in the air this afternoon, they’re sadly wrong. That won’t happen today,” Hancock said.
When asked whether the union accepts legal risks against the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) orders and how far they are going, Hancock did not restrain them.
“There are no restrictions. We’ll continue to be strong… and if that means people like me go to prison, then that’s it.
Hancock told reporters that the union is “still committed to standing up for the rights of our members and for all Canadians under our constitution.”
Despite ongoing consultations, Air Canada and the union continue to face conflict over wages and other important issues. The union says that when the plane is not in the air, its main anchor point revolves around what is called the “poverty wage” of flight attendants. Flight attendants are paid only after the flight takes off. Striking flight attendants at Toronto Pearson International Airport held signs that “unpaid jobs have not been flying” and “poverty wage = uncanadian.”
According to Hancock, the final negotiation session between Union and Air Canada took place Friday night.
Air Canada has confirmed it has abandoned plans to resume flights Monday evening, urging travelers to stay home unless they rebook with another airline.
Meanwhile, Cupe is taking legal action and is wary of challenging the directive back to government work. The union argues that the CIRB order violates the constitutional rights of 10,000 members (70% of whom are women), highlighting concerns about what it describes as systematic, unpaid work for flight attendants.
Ongoing labor disputes have caused business to be significantly disrupted, with the airline cancelling more than 2,500 flights of 1,249 people domestically and 1,350 internationally and agreeing to aviation analytics firm Cirium. All 723 scheduled flights, including 353 domestic and 370 international flights, were cancelled on Monday.
Hundreds of thousands of tourists have made an impact
Air Canada estimates that around 500,000 passengers have been affected by previous flight cancellations.
Toronto-based journalist Jennifer Bain preemptively canceled his August 15 flight from Toronto to Tokyo on August 14th. Then before the strike began when Air Canada ended its operation and began to find a place to park the aircraft.
“This was under the control of the company and was supposed to cause new flights and compensation,” Bain said. “However, the airline said, “I’m sorry. But after searching for flights with over 120 airlines before and after a cancelled flight, we were unable to rebook you.”
Bane said within minutes he could easily get a New Delta flight routed through Minneapolis.
“Like many Canadians, I’m fully in favor of the flight attendants in their fight and get quite compensated,” Bain said. “And like all the people who were directly affected by the cancellation of flights, I’m angry with Canada for abandoning me.”
Bane hopes this is a vital moment. This is a new industry standard where flight attendants are paid for work after a flight takes off and runs out, and requires strengthening the law, allowing airlines to automatically rebook stuck passengers, not force them to find their own flight, and then they must give a refund.
Reorder options and requirements
Canada Air Canada CEO Mark Nasr said last week that customers whose flights were cancelled are eligible for a full refund and that they will arrange to offer alternative travel options “when possible” with other Canadian and foreign airlines.
The Air Passenger Protection Regulation (APPR) requires Air Canada to rebook travelers on available flights, even if operated by competitors, within 48 hours of passengers’ original departure time. Airlines offer refunds to passengers, but once coverage, it may invalidate the customer’s rights for flights where the airline’s rebook has been cancelled.
Like Bane, Kim Denness Thomas is also frustrated by the lack of support after playwright tour manager Air Canada was cancelled on Monday morning prior to the opening of her play after a flight to London, England. A little green leaf In the UK.
“Air Canada didn’t even email the tour manager to let her know that her flight had been cancelled,” Thomas said. “The rest of the crew and I are supposed to jump out on the weekend, but we’re really worried about the lack of support from management to follow what they should be doing by booking us on alternative flights.”
Denneth Thomas said her tour manager and travel agency are exploring five other options accompanying her tour play London feet.
“We have limited funding to solve this. We are basically our own,” Denneth Thomas said. “But I have full support for flight attendants. They have the right to be paid for their work the moment they start.”
Christina Tonna, head of the Americas for World Nomad Travel Insurance, suggested passengers who have not checked insurance policy benefits as flights have been cancelled and passengers who have not received assistance from the airline will not check the insurance policy benefits as normal travel interruptions and cancellation coverage. She recommends that travelers keep all their documents, including receipts, boarding passes, and airline communications, if they need to claim their insurance provider.
Air Canada shares fell more than 1.5% by early Monday afternoon.
