CUPE: Air Canada’s financial success built on the unpaid labour of its flight attendants

OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Air Canada recently released its annual report and held a shareholders meeting where they boasted of their current financial success. The Air Canada Component of CUPE, which represents more than 10,000 flight attendants with Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, noted that the report failed to mention the amount of unpaid labour that the company’s flight attendants are currently required to do and the role that this unpaid labour has played in its financial success.

“While it is somewhat comforting to know that Air Canada is financially viable in a time of great uncertainty in the airline industry, we also know that a lot of these profits come from the amount of unpaid labour that flight attendants are required to do,” said Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada Component of CUPE.

Flight attendants are the backbone of Air Canada's operations, tirelessly working to ensure the safety, comfort, and well-being of passengers. Despite their unwavering dedication, flight attendants are only paid from the moment that the cabin door closes before take-off to the moment the doors open upon landing. Anyone who has ever flown before knows that this period is only a fraction of the time where flight attendants are working.

“With our contract coming up for negotiation next year, Air Canada and its shareholders have an opportunity to correct this injustice and compensate flight attendants for all the work that they do. And we know from this annual report, that they have the money to do it.”

The Air Canada Component of CUPE urges Air Canada to rectify this injustice immediately by acknowledging the unpaid hours worked by flight attendants and providing them with the compensation they deserve. Furthermore, we call on the company to take concrete steps to ensure that all employees are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, including fair wages, reasonable working conditions, and recognition of their hard work and dedication.

It is time for Air Canada to live up to its responsibilities as an employer and demonstrate its commitment to the well-being of its employees. Anything less is a betrayal of trust and a failure of leadership.