Air Canada cancels plans to resume flights as attendants' union rejects return to work order: ‘We are saying no’

Air Canada has called off its plans to resume flights on Sunday after the union representing 10,000 flight attendants announced it would defy a return-to-work order. The strike was already impacting roughly 130,000 travellers daily during peak summer travel, according to a report by AP.

After government intervention, the Canadian Industrial Relations Board instructed airline staff to return to work by 2 pm Sunday, and Air Canada announced it planned to restart flights on Sunday evening.

Canada’s largest airline announced it will resume flights on Monday evening. Air Canada stated in a press release that the union“illegally directed its flight attendant members to defy a direction from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board.”

“Our members are not going back to work,” Canadian Union of Public Employees national president Mark Hancock said outside Toronto's Pearson International Airport. “We are saying no.”

Hancock tore up a copy of the back-to-work order outside the airport’s departures terminal, where union members were picketing on Sunday morning. He also mentioned they won't be returning on Tuesday.

Flight attendants said, “Don’t blame me, blame AC”, outside Pearson.

Jennifer Kozelj, a spokeswoman for Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu, wrote in an email that, like many Canadians, the Minister is closely monitoring the situation. She emphasised that the Canada Industrial Relations Board operates as an independent tribunal.

Hancock said the “whole process has been unfair” and said the union will challenge what it called an unconstitutional order.

Less than 12 hours after workers went on strike, Hajdu instructed the 10,000 flight attendants to return to work, emphasising that this is not the time to jeopardise the economy and highlighting the unprecedented tariffs the US has placed on Canada. She also referred the strike to the Canada Industrial Relations Board.

The airline stated that the CIRB has extended the duration of the current collective agreement until the arbitrator finalises a new one.

Impact of the shutdown

The closure of Canada’s biggest airline early Saturday affected approximately 130,000 people daily. Air Canada typically runs around 700 flights each day.

Flight attendants left their jobs around 1 a.m. EDT on Saturday. At nearly the same time, Air Canada announced it would start locking flight attendants out of airports.

The contract dispute intensified on Friday when the union rejected Air Canada’s earlier proposal to engage in government-mandated arbitration, where a third-party mediator would determine the terms of the new agreement.

In 2024, the government compelled the country’s two major railways into arbitration with their labour union during a strike. The union representing the rail workers is suing, claiming the government is undermining the union’s bargaining power.

Hajdu mentioned that the Liberal government isn't opposed to unions, highlighting that it's evident the two sides have reached an impasse.

Passengers whose flights are impacted will be eligible to request a full refund on the airline’s website or mobile app, according to Air Canada.

The airline plans to offer alternative travel options via other Canadian and foreign airlines when possible. Still, it warned that it could not guarantee immediate rebooking because flights on other airlines are already full “due to the summer travel peak.”

Air Canada and CUPE have been negotiating for approximately eight months without reaching a tentative agreement. Both parties acknowledge significant differences, particularly regarding pay and the unpaid work flight attendants perform when planes are not in operation.

Its most recent offer included a 38% increase in total compensation, which included benefits and pensions, over four years, that it expects “would have made our flight attendants the best compensated in Canada.”

However, the union opposed the move, stating that the proposed 8% hike in the first year was not enough due to inflation.

(With inputs from agencies.)