-

CUPE: Air Canada is Reinforcing the Gender Wage Gap – And They Want the Government to Help Them Do It

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Air Canada wants to reinforce the gender wage gap by forcing Air Canada flight attendants – 70% of whom identify as women – to accept a wage offer less than one-third what Air Canada offered its pilots less than a year ago.

“Air Canada’s male-dominated workforce received a significant cost-of-living wage increase. Why not the flight attendants, who are 70% women?” said Natasha Stea, President of CUPE 4091 representing Air Canada flight attendants based in Montreal.

In 2024, Air Canada gave pilots – a male-dominated profession – a 26% wage increase in year one of their new contract.

However, in 2025, Air Canada is offering flight attendants just 8% in year one of their new contract, and just a 17.2% wage increase overall over the life of a four-year deal.

Air Canada gave pilots a better wage increase in on year than flight attendants will get over the entire life of their four-year contract if Air Canada gets its way.

Now, Air Canada has threatened to lock out Air Canada flight attendants, calling flight attendant wage proposals “exorbitant” – and they want Employment Minister Patty Hajdu to impose a deal on flight attendants through forced arbitration.

Since 2015, compensation growth for female-dominated occupations in the airline industry has fallen flat while wages and compensation for pilots and maintenance personnel have increased by 31% and 14%. Air Canada wants the federal government to help them keep the trend alive. 

Contacts

Hugh Pouliot
CUPE Media Relations
613-818-0067
hpouliot@cupe.ca

Industry:

Canadian Union of Public Employees

Release Versions
EnglishFrench

Contacts

Hugh Pouliot
CUPE Media Relations
613-818-0067
hpouliot@cupe.ca

More News From Canadian Union of Public Employees

WCB Workers Sound Alarm on Rising Workloads and Delays in Care for Injured Canadians

VANCOUVER, BC--(BUSINESS WIRE)--When Canadians are injured on the job, they depend on the expertise and dedication of workers at the Workers’ Compensation Boards (WCBs) across the country. But as workloads intensify and staffing pressures mount, those same workers are warning that delays in care are becoming unavoidable. That message was front and centre at a national conference of WCB unions held this week, bringing together delegates from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the Nat...

Striking workers to rally outside state of the province address by Premier Houston

HALIFAX, NS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Striking long term care workers from across Nova Scotia will be collapsing picket lines and converging outside of Premier Tim Houston’s state of the province address today. All Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) members in Nova Scotia, community and political allies, as well as labour leaders will be speaking to the ‘state of long term care’ at a rally this afternoon. "It’s time our elected representatives listened to their constituents. We’re not just worke...

CUPE warns Carney government against unprecedented attack on workers’ rights

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CUPE, Canada’s largest union, is warning the federal Liberals against moving on proposals to curb the Charter-protected right to strike and further tilt the balance of power toward major corporations and employers. While CUPE remains open to discussing ways to improve labour relations and preventing conflicts, CUPE National President Mark Hancock says the changes – proposed in a discussion paper as part of a hasty federal consultation on reforming the labour code – seem...
Back to Newsroom