Canada, flight attendants
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After months of stalled negotiations, 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants walked off the job early Saturday morning. The federal government stepped in hours later to order binding arbitration, forcing an end to the strike — or so they thought.
Canadian Labor Minister Patty Hajdu said on Friday that she met jointly with Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), urging both sides to work harder and remain at the negotiating table to reach a deal and avert a potential strike.
Air Canada wants to reinforce the gender wage gap by forcing Air Canada flight attendants – 70% of whom identify as women – to accept a wage offer less than one-third what Air Canada offered its pilots less than a year ago.
Air Canada said it remains available to continue negotiations with its flight attendants as it winds down operations ahead of a potential labor disruption.