With Talks at an Impasse, Air Canada Flight Attendants File for Conciliation 

Air Canada flight attendants have reached an impasse in contract negotiations with the airline and files for conciliation with the federal labour minister.

Representing 10,000 Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants, CUPE says the top priority in negotiations is wage increases. The Air Canada component of CUPE says an entry-level full-time salary for a flight attendant is less than $2,000 per month.

 “Everything has changed since 2015, but the company refuses to acknowledge reality,” said union president Wesley Lesosky in a press release.

“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.”

Unpaid work is another major sticking point. CUPE says loopholes in the Canada Labour Code allow airlines to force flight attendants to work an average of 35 hours per month without pay, including tasks like boarding and deplaning, assisting passengers with mobility issues, and performing pre-flight safety checks.

Once a federal conciliation officer is appointed, there will be a 60-day period for them to work with the airline and union followed by a three-week cooling-off period.

The union said if there is no agreement reached by then, it may give 72-hours’ notice of job action after a strike vote has been taken.