Air Canada suspended all operations as greater than 10,000 of the airline’s flight attendants went on strike early Saturday after a deadline to succeed in a deal handed.
Canadian Union of Public Workers spokesman Hugh Pouliot confirmed the strike had began after no deal was reached, and the airline stated shortly after that it will halt operations.
“We are actually formally on strike! Picket traces will likely be energetic in any respect bases,” the union stated in an announcement.
It’s the first strike by flight attendants since 1985.
A bitter contract struggle 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 remove its proper to strike and permit a third-party mediator to determine the phrases of a brand new contract.
Peter McCabe / REUTERS
Flight attendants walked off the job round 1 a.m. EDT on Saturday. Across the similar time, Air Canada stated 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 succeed in a deal “as soon as and for all.”
“It’s unacceptable that such little progress has been made. Canadians are relying on each events to place ahead their greatest efforts,” Hajdu stated in an announcement posted on social media.
Pouliot, the spokesman for the union, earlier stated the union had a gathering with Hajdu and representatives from Air Canada earlier Friday night.
“CUPE has engaged with the mediator to relay our willingness to proceed bargaining — even though Air Canada has not countered our final two gives since Tuesday,” he stated in an electronic mail. “We’re right here to discount a deal, to not go on strike.”
Peter McCabe / REUTERS 
An entire shutdown will have an effect on roughly 130,000 individuals each day, and round 25,000 Canadians will likely be stranded overseas every day. Air Canada operates round 700 flights per day.
The airline stated it will additionally supply various journey choices by way of different Canadian and international airways when attainable. Nevertheless it warned that it couldn’t assure rapid rebooking as a result of flights on different airways are already full “because of the summer time journey peak.”
“Air Canada is strongly advising affected clients to not go to the airport except they’ve a confirmed ticket on an airline apart from Air Canada or Air Canada Rouge,” the airline stated in an announcement. “Air Canada deeply regrets the impact the strike is having on clients.”
ANDREJ IVANOV/AFP by way of Getty Photos 
In anticipation of the strike, the airline started cancelling flights on Thursday and Friday as flight attendants didn’t report back to work.
How lengthy the airline’s planes will likely be grounded stays to be seen, however Air Canada Chief Working Officer Mark Nasr has stated it might take as much as per week to restart operations as soon as a tentative deal is reached totally.
ANDREJ IVANOV/AFP by way of Getty Photos 
Passengers whose journey is impacted will likely be eligible to request a full refund on the airline’s web site or cell app, in keeping with Air Canada.
Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Workers have been in contract talks for about eight months, however they’ve but to succeed in 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 supply included a 38% improve in complete compensation, together with advantages and pensions over 4 years, that it stated “would have made our flight attendants the perfect compensated in Canada.”
However the union pushed again, saying the proposed 8% elevate within the first yr did not go far sufficient due to inflation.
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