-

CUPE: Air Canada flight attendants vote to strike if necessary to end unpaid work and poverty wages

OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Air Canada Component of CUPE, the union representing over 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, says its members have voted 99.7% in favour of strike action, if necessary.

The vote reflects the deep frustration of flight attendants after months of negotiations without result, due to the airline's refusal to fairly negotiate on key issues like unpaid work, work rules, and poverty-level wages.

"The company would rather drag their feet than negotiate on the things that matter to our members," said Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada Component of CUPE. “Now, flight attendants have had a chance to weigh in and tell the company it’s time to get serious about negotiating.”

A strike vote is a necessary precursor for legal job action but does not necessarily mean that Air Canada flight attendants will be going on strike.

Since 2000, inflation has increased 169% and average full-time wages have increased 210% in Canada. But entry-level Air Canada flight attendants' wages have increased only 10% - just $3 per hour – in the past 25 years.

Meanwhile, Air Canada flight attendants are not paid for a significant portion of their time on the job, including while they perform critical safety checks, attend to onboard medical and safety emergencies, and assist passengers with boarding and deplaning.

"While the airline continues to slap junk fees on flyers and gouge the public, they're also exploiting their own employees by severely underpaying flight attendants or refusing to pay them at all for safety-critical aspects of our jobs," said Lesosky.

"Air Canada has raked billions in profits in the past few years. They can afford to pay us fairly without raising costs for the public.”

Having taken a strike vote, the union could be in a legal strike as soon as August 16 at 12:01AM ET.

READ: Briefing note on key bargaining issues

WATCH: Video to Air Canada flight attendants from Wesley Lesosky, President of the Air Canada Component of CUPE

For more information

The Canadian Union of Public Employees is Canada’s largest union, with 750,000 members across the country. CUPE represents workers in health care, emergency services, education, early learning and childcare, municipalities, social services, libraries, utilities, transportation, airlines and more.

Contacts

Media relations
Nathalie Garceau
Senior officer Communications
Canadian Union of Public Employees
ngarceau@cupe.ca
+1 613-212-7802

Industry:

Canadian Union of Public Employees

Release Versions
EnglishFrench

Contacts

Media relations
Nathalie Garceau
Senior officer Communications
Canadian Union of Public Employees
ngarceau@cupe.ca
+1 613-212-7802

More News From Canadian Union of Public Employees

CUPE Ontario urges government to change course ahead of 2026 budget

NIAGARA FALLS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn called on the Ford government to reverse course on its budget priorities Thursday, warning that years of underfunding public services have deepened inequality and harmed workers and communities across the province. Hahn spoke at a press conference and later before the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs as part of the 2026 pre-budget consultations. With more than 300,000 members, CUPE Ontario is the largest union in...

Paramedics need a real solution to growing workforce crisis, not additional red tape through a college: CUPE Ambulance Committee of Ontario

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ontario’s paramedic system is under severe strain as services struggle to recruit and retain workers while frontline paramedics face mounting mental health pressures. Yet some influential voices are once again promoting the creation of a College of Paramedics, an expensive and unnecessary layer of regulation that would do nothing to improve patient care. “Ontario’s paramedic workforce is in the midst of a crisis driven by chronic understaffing, burnout, and a growing v...

Workers from Melville Lodge Vote to Strike

HALIFAX, NS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Halifax-based long term care workers from Melville Lodge, represented by CUPE 3840, vote 100% in a favour of a strike mandate last week, citing wages and retention issues as their main concerns. “Long term care is in crisis. We all know that, even the government does, and many of those issues come down to insufficient staffing levels. Long wait times? Insufficient care? Lack of attention? If we had sufficient staff, the beds the government is creating would have pe...
Back to Newsroom