CUPE : Air Canada flight attendant union forced to file for conciliation in fight for fairness

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Air Canada Component of CUPE, the union representing 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, has filed for conciliation with the federal minister of labour, citing an impasse with the airline.

"We've made fair, reasonable, and long overdue proposals, but the company appears to be dragging their feet and not taking the process seriously," said Wesley Lesosky, a flight attendant with 24 years experience and President of the Air Canada Component of CUPE.

The contract, which has been in effect since 2015, expired on March 31, 2025. "Everything has changed since 2015, but the company refuses to acknowledge reality," said Lesosky. "Our workloads have soared, the cost of living has skyrocketed beyond belief, and our working conditions are getting worse by the day. The status quo won't cut it."

The top issue for flight attendants is fair compensation. The union is negotiating to put an end to unpaid work, which it has been addressing through its Unfair Canada campaign since December 2024.

Flight attendants at Air Canada are struggling to get by. An entry-level flight attendant at Air Canada who works full-time is only earning $1,951.30 per month, which is impossible to live on.

The union has also put forward reasonable proposals to improve scheduling and safety and fatigue provisions, retirement security, and working conditions, among others.

Since April 2023, with its Unpaid Work Won't Fly campaign, CUPE has been lobbying the federal government to close loopholes in the Canada Labour Code that allow airlines to force flight attendants to work 35 hours per month, on average, without pay. Unpaid duties typically include boarding and deplaning aircraft, assisting passengers with mobility issues, and performing critical pre-flight safety checks. The Liberals have refused to acknowledge the issue or take action to date.

Once a federal conciliation officer is appointed, they will have up to sixty days to work with the parties. At the end of the conciliation period, the parties enter a mandatory 21-day cooling off period. If no agreement is reached by the end of the 21-day cooling off period, the union may give 72-hours notice of job action after a strike vote has been taken.