Air Canada flight attendants set 72-hour strike deadline for pay deal

[OTTAWA] The Canadian Union of Public Employees, representing more than 10,000 Air Canada cabin crew, on Wednesday (Aug 13) gave the airline a 72-hour deadline to reach a pay deal or face strike, hours after the carrier asked sought federal government intervention.

The strike is set to begin at about 1 am ET on Saturday. Earlier this month, 99.7 per cent of employees represented by the union voted for a strike.

The airline, which has warned of potential flight disruptions, declared a deadlock in negotiations on Tuesday, after the union rejected its proposal for binding arbitration.

The carrier had offered a 38 per cent increase in total compensation for flight attendants over four years, with a 25 per cent raise in the first year.

However, the union said the offer was “below inflation, below market value, below minimum wage – and still leaves flight attendants unpaid for all hours of work”.

Most airlines pay cabin crew only for time spent in flight, but flight attendants in North America are seeking pay for all hours worked, including boarding and waiting at airports before and between flights.

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The airline had on Wednesday issued a lockout notice to employees, which would start 32 minutes after the strike begins. REUTERS