Air Canada pilots may go on strike in the coming weeks, citing better wages and retirement benefits as some of their needs under negotiation with the airline.
The pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), are currently in the process of participating in a strike vote which closes on Aug. 22. The union says if it is provided with a strike mandate, it’ll have the ability to take strike action as early as mid-September.
Fair compensation, respectable retirement benefits and quality-of-life improvements are the union’s most important negotiations, ALPA tells Now Toronto, and while Air Canada has agreed on some issues, it still has yet to address these significant issues at the table.
“We want to reach an agreement with Air Canada to avert a strike and although we have made some progress in conciliation, management continues to force us closer to a strike position by not listening to our most pressing needs,” Air Canada Master Executive Council Chair Charlene Hudy said in an email.
ALPA, which represents 5,500 Air Canada pilots, says it hopes to avoid that outcome, but is not seeing any positive efforts in that direction from the airline.
“Our goal is to avoid a strike, and our focus remains on negotiating a modern contract that Air Canada pilots will strongly vote in favour of,” Hudy said.
“At this time, we are not seeing the significant movement we need to from Air Canada,” she added.
The union acknowledged that flight disruptions are not ideal for passengers and pilots, and emphasized that reason is a major force in wanting to reach an agreement with Air Canada.
Back inJune, ALPA filed a notice of dispute regarding collective bargaining with Air Canada. The union has been in negotiation discussions with the airline since June 2023.
“Currently, Air Canada pilots are paid approximately half what other legacy airline pilots are paid in North America, and have the worst working conditions in this category,” Hudy said in a June 17 press release.
Air Canada tells Now Toronto that it currently remains in negotiations with ALPA. The airline says it has already reached an agreement on several items, and is working on the union’s remaining issues. Until then, the airline said it will operate as usual.
“We are working actively to reach agreement on the remaining issues with an aim to finalize a deal over the next several weeks,” Air Canada said in an email.
“Under federal labour law, there can be no action taken by either side until mid-September at the very earliest, and therefore it is business as usual, with Air Canada operating as normal.”
Read More
Earlier this year, WestJet’s plane mechanics took strike action, after failing to reach a deal on salary increase and better working conditions. The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA), which represented some 680 mechanics, walked off the job on June 28, which resulted in more than 1,000 flights being cancelled over a five-day period.
