Air Canada and the union representing its flight attendants say their strike has ended after the two parties reached a new tentative agreement.
The airline said in a statement on Tuesday that it would gradually resume service after reaching a mediated settlement.
“Mediation discussions were begun on the basis that the union commit to have the airline’s 10,000 flight attendants immediately return to work, allowing the airline to resume the operations of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, which have been grounded since Aug. 16,” the airline wrote in a news release.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees’ (CUPE) Air Canada Component said in a bargaining update that it would have a tentative agreement to bring forward to members for a vote.
“We are required to advise our membership that we must fully cooperate with resumption of operations,” the union said in their update.
Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu said it was “good news for workers and Canadians” that a deal had been reached by the airline and union representing flight attendants.
“I am relieved that the parties agreed to meet together last night,” Hajdu said. “Throughout our meetings I strongly urged them to find a deal together at the table.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney also expressed relief at news of the deal.
“It is my hope that this will ensure flight attendants are compensated fairly at all times, while ending disruption for hundreds of thousands of Canadian families, workers, and visitors to Canada,” he said in a post on X.
What's in the deal?
CUPE said in a statement that they were “achieving transformational change for our industry” through the agreement.
“Unpaid work is over,” the union said in an email, referencing a key sticking point for the union during negotiations.
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“This is historic for Canadian flight attendants that’s all I can say. We fought the norm in the industry and we won.”
During bargaining leading up to the strike, the union said that before and after flights, flight attendants are required to perform “hours of unpaid mandatory” duties, including safety checks, boarding, deplaning and assisting passengers with special needs.
In her statement, Hajdu reiterated her announcement Monday that a probe had been launched into unpaid work and said once the report is available, it will be made public.
“Nobody should work for free,” she wrote. “Although the Canada Labour Code expressly prohibits unpaid work, these concerning allegations are very serious and we will get to the bottom of it.”
Air Canada chief operations officer Mark Nasr told Global News in an interview that the agreement was “industry leading.”
“It will include ground pay, it will include much-needed raises to get to a living wage for our more junior flight attendants and many other aspects that will make this the right package that recognizes all of their tremendous contributions,” he said.
Nasr did not provide further details on the agreement, with Air Canada having previously said it would not discuss details until ratification is complete.
Flights resuming, but cancellations expected
According to the airline, the first flights set to resume are scheduled for Tuesday evening, but it says the airline’s return to full, regular service may require seven to 10 days as aircraft and crew are “out of position.”
As a result, some flights will still be cancelled over this period until the “schedule is stabilized.”
Travellers with confirmed bookings whose flights are shown as operating are the only ones the airline says should head to the airport.
“The suspension of our service is extremely difficult for our customers. We deeply regret and apologize for the impact on them of this labour disruption. Our priority now is to get them moving as quickly as possible,” said Michael Rousseau, president and chief executive officer of Air Canada.
Air Canada is advising travellers it will offer options to those with cancelled flights, including either providing a full refund or receiving a credit for future travel.
The airline says it will also offer to rebook customers on other airlines, though notes capacity is limited due to it being peak summer travel season.
Nasr said that when flights resume Tuesday, they’ll be operating about 53 per cent of their flights globally, including the first international departures since the strike began.
CIRB deemed strike 'unlawful' day before it ended
The agreement comes a day after the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) deemed the ongoing strike by flight attendants “unlawful.” The union had defied two orders by the CIRB requiring them to return to work.
The CIRB’s first order came Sunday morning after Hajdu invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, asking the CIRB to order both the airline and flight attendants back to work and to impose binding arbitration.
On Monday, following their second refusal, CUPE national president Mark Hancock told reporters there was “no limit” to what they’d do to secure a good deal, even jail time.
“If it means folks like me going to jail, then so be it. If it means our union being fined, then so be it,” Hancock said.
Hours after those comments, Hajdu put out a video on X urging both parties to resume bargaining, but also ordered a federal probe into “allegations of unpaid work” in the airline sector.
—with files from Global News’ Sean Boynton
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