-

CUPE : Flight attendants will rally to end unpaid work to Parliament Hill

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Flight attendants from across Canada represented by CUPE will descend on Parliament Hill on Tuesday, September 16 to call on Ottawa to finally act to end unpaid work in Canada’s airline industry.

The recent labour dispute at Air Canada centred around the airline’s abuse of unpaid work and put the issue into the spotlight. Industry-wide in Canada, flight attendants work on average 35 hours every month for free, performing vital safety-related duties including pre-flight safety checks, attending to onboard emergencies, assisting passengers with additional needs, boarding, deplaning, and delays.

“Unpaid work is a systemic issue requiring a systemic solution,” said Wesley Lesosky, President of CUPE’s Airline Division representing 20,000 flight attendants at 11 airlines in Canada. “Flight attendants should not have to negotiate - or go on strike - for a right that every other Canadian already enjoys: to be paid for their time at work. The federal government must act without delay to end this abusive practice in our industry.”

WHEN: September 16, 12:00 p.m. -2:00 p.m. EDT

WHERE: East Lawn, Parliament Hill

WHO: Wesley Lesosky, President, CUPE Airline Division
Alia Hussain, President, CUPE 8125 (WestJet)
Mark Hancock, National President, CUPE
Don Davies, Interim NDP Leader

Contacts

Nathalie Garceau, CUPE Communications
ngarceau@cupe.ca
514-594-2747

Industry:

Canadian Union of Public Employees

Release Versions
EnglishFrench

Contacts

Nathalie Garceau, CUPE Communications
ngarceau@cupe.ca
514-594-2747

More News From Canadian Union of Public Employees

WestJet flight attendants bring unpaid work message out to the ballgame

TORONTO, ON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Blue Jays' bats may have been quiet on Tuesday night, but luckily dozens of WestJet flight attendants represented by CUPE 8125 were on site bringing the noise and raising awareness about unpaid work and low wages at WestJet, one of the Blue Jays' signature sponsors. Members of CUPE 8125 held an information picket outside the Skydome to talk with fans about the reality that flight attendants are expected to work without pay up to 35 hours per month at WestJet. T...

“We are breaking under the cuts”: Scarborough hospital workers call on Ford government to increase funding in the face of $36 million deficit

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--2,500 frontline workers at the Scarborough Health Network (SHN), represented by CUPE, are facing heightened staffing issues while hospitals across the province cut jobs to account for growing deficits. The SHN is currently battling a $36 million budget shortfall. Chronic underfunding has resulted in a dual crisis of both reduced investment and capacity, at a moment when demand for hospital services only continues to grow. A survey of SHN workers conducted by CUPE in la...

Valley View Villa could return to picket lines as employer demands concessions

STELLARTON, NS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Long term care workers from Valley View Villa could be back on strike after 9 weeks on the picket line and 6 weeks of renewed negotiations at the local level because their employer continues to demand the workers take concessions, which would mean accepting terms worse than their current contract. These concessions include changes to how employees earn vacation time, which could result in reduced vacation, and changes to the health insurance coverage. “We spent...
Back to Newsroom