Avert potential job action at Canada’s major airlines by ending unpaid work, flight attendants to tell Parliamentarians

OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--One day before International Flight Attendant Day, Canada's flight attendants will hold a day of action on Parliament Hill on Thursday, May 30, to call on Parliament to end the abuse of unpaid work in the airline industry before it leads to potential job action at Canada’s major airlines.

WHERE & WHEN
May 30, 2024 – 8:00AM
330 Sparks Street (outside Transport Canada)

Currently, due to little-known industry practice, flight attendants in Canada work 35 hours per month without pay, on average, while they perform critical safety-related duties during the boarding and deplaning process.

The day of action, organized by the Airline Division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), will begin with a leaflet outside Transport Canada offices at 330 Sparks Street at 8AM, where uniformed flight attendants will hand out snacks and talk to the public about the issue of unpaid work.

CUPE Airline Division President Wesley Lesosky will later join NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and MP Bonita Zarrillo for a media availability at 9:45AM in West Block.

Flight attendants will also meet with MPs and Senators from all parties later in the day on Parliament Hill.

As Canada's two largest airlines, Air Canada and WestJet, head to the negotiating table with their flight attendants in 2025, flight attendants are calling on the federal government to support workers by addressing gaps in the Canada Labour Code to bar airlines from forcing flight attendants to work for free.

CUPE's Airline Division launched the Unpaid Work Won't Fly campaign to draw attention to the issue of unpaid work in April 2023.

CUPE is Canada's flight attendant union, representing 18,500 flight attendants at ten different airlines across Canada.