Air Canada suspends operations as flight attendants go on strike

TORONTO — Air Canada suspended operations as greater than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants went on strike early Saturday after a deadline to achieve a deal handed, leaving vacationers world wide stranded and scrambling in the course of the peak summer time journey season.

Canadian Union of Public Workers spokesman Hugh Pouliot confirmed the strike had began after no deal was reached, and the airline mentioned shortly after that it will halt operations.

A bitter contract combat between Canada’s largest airline and the union representing 10,000 of its flight attendants escalated Friday because the union turned down the airline’s request to enter into government-directed arbitration, which might eradicate its proper to strike and permit a third-party mediator to resolve the phrases of a brand new contract.

Flight attendants stroll off the job

Flight attendants walked off the job round 1 a.m. EDT on Saturday. Across the identical time, Air Canada mentioned it will start locking flight attendants out of airports.

Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu met with each the airline and union on Friday night time and urged them to work more durable to achieve a deal “once and for all.”

“It is unacceptable that such little progress has been made. Canadians are counting on both parties to put forward their best efforts,” Hajdu mentioned in an announcement posted on social media.

Pouliot, the spokesman for the union, mentioned the union had a gathering with Hajdu and representatives from Air Canada earlier Friday night.

The federal authorities pressured the nation’s two main railroads into arbitration with their labor union final 12 months throughout a piece stoppage. The union that represents rail employees is suing, arguing the federal government is eradicating a union’s leverage in negotiations.

The Business Council of Canada has urged the federal government to impose binding arbitration on this case, too.

“At a time when Canada is dealing with unprecedented pressures on our critical economic supply chains, the disruption of national air passenger travel and cargo transport services would cause immediate and extensive harm to all Canadians,” chief government Goldy Hyder mentioned in an announcement.

Vacationers are in limbo

A whole shutdown will influence about 130,000 individuals a day, and a few 25,000 Canadians could also be stranded overseas every day. Air Canada operates round 700 flights per day.

Canada is the second-largest nation on the planet and flying is usually the one viable choice.

Montreal resident Alex Laroche, 21, and his girlfriend had been saving since Christmas for his or her European trip. Now their $8,000 journey with nonrefundable lodging is on the road as they wait to listen to from Air Canada concerning the destiny of their Saturday night time flight to Good, France.

How lengthy the airline’s planes can be grounded stays to be seen, however Air Canada Chief Working Officer Mark Nasr has mentioned it may take as much as every week to totally restart operations as soon as a tentative deal is reached.

Passengers whose journey is impacted can be eligible to request a full refund on the airline’s web site or cell app, in accordance with Air Canada.

The airline mentioned it will additionally provide different journey choices by means of different Canadian and international airways when attainable. Nevertheless it warned that it couldn’t assure speedy rebooking as a result of flights on different airways are already full “due to the summer travel peak.”

Laroche mentioned he thought-about reserving new flights with a special provider, however he mentioned most of them are practically full and price greater than double the $3,000 they paid for his or her authentic tickets.

“At this point, it’s just a waiting game,” he mentioned.

Laroche mentioned he was initially upset over the union’s resolution to go on strike, however that he had a change of coronary heart after studying about the important thing points on the heart of the contract negotiations, together with the difficulty of wages.

“Their wage is barely livable,” Laroche mentioned.

Sides say they’re far aside on pay

Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Workers have been in contract talks for about eight months, however they’ve but to achieve a tentative deal.

Either side say they continue to be far aside on the difficulty of pay and the unpaid work flight attendants do when planes aren’t within the air.

The airline’s newest provide included a 38% improve in whole compensation, together with advantages and pensions over 4 years, that it mentioned “would have made our flight attendants the best compensated in Canada.”

However the union pushed again, saying the proposed 8% elevate within the first 12 months did not go far sufficient due to inflation.