OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees representing the airline's 10,000 flight attendants, have reached a tentative labor agreement, bringing an end to a strike that grounded thousands of flights and disrupted the travel plans of more than half a million passengers.
The deal, announced early Tuesday after mediated talks, addresses one of the union's central demands compensations for work performed while planes are on the ground. 'Unpaid work is over. We have reclaimed our voice and our power,' CUPE said in a statement, calling the agreement a 'transformational change' for the industry. The contract still requires ratification by union members, and if rejected, the strike could resume.
The walkout, which began Saturday after a 99.7 percent strike vote, halted over 700 flights daily and stranded roughly 130,000 travelers per day at the peak of the summer season. By Monday, Air Canada had already canceled more than 2,500 flights. Despite the breakthrough, the airline warned it could take a week to ten days to fully restore operations, as aircraft and crew remain out of position.
Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed the deal, saying he hoped it would ensure fair compensation for flight attendants while restoring stability for Canadian families, workers, and visitors.
Air Canada said it would focus first on resuming international routes before gradually ramping up domestic and North American service. The carrier advised passengers to check flight status before heading to the airport and offered refunds to those affected by cancellations.
If ratified, the agreement marks a significant shift in labor relations, ending years of frustration over stagnant wages and unpaid duties that flight attendants argued had eroded their livelihoods.
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