10,000 Air Canada flight attendants may go on strike. ‘Unpaid work won’t fly,’ campaign says

Wages, working conditions and scheduling are the main issues at the centre of ongoing labour negotiations between Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge and the Canadian Union of Public Employees representing some 10,000 flight attendants.

With contracts expiring on Monday, March 31, CUPE is pushing for an agreement that will put more money in flight attendant’s pockets, as they currently get paid only for the time planes are in the air.

Time spent greeting and welcoming passengers, putting away baggage in overhead bins, and disembarking the aircraft are part of an unpaid portion of work that has amounted to an average of 35 hours of free labour per month per flight attendant, according to the union.

According to CBC reporting, this goes against Transport Canada rules, and CUPE is now backing Bill C-415, which is a proposed change to the federal law to standardize how flight attendants are paid, which would be precedent setting if it goes through in Canada. 

An update on salary is also being pushed, as flight attendants make as little as $27,000 annually, which does not suffice to keep up with a standard of living. 

Pledge to end unpaid work

CUPE is making a federal election pitch calling on parties to pledge that they will “introduce legislation to ban unpaid work in the airline sector if elected,” according to a CUPE news release. 

An invite to sign the union’s pledge has been directed to party leaders by reintroducing Bill C-415 in the next Parliament, which would ensure flight attendants are paid for all hours worked, including training, pre-flight and postflight duties at their full rate of pay. 

Wesley Lesosky, president of the airline division at CUPE, wrote a letter addressed to Prime Minister Mark Carney which stated “Flight attendants live and work in cities and towns all across Canada from coast to coast to coast — and our members are keeping a keen eye on this election. No one should ever be forced to work for free, but especially not in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.”

For the past two years, an “Unpaid Work Won’t Fly” campaign has been gaining traction.

Lesosky is now hoping that the momentum of this campaign continues and is enforced under the next federal government.