The wage increase issue is still under negotiation
Air Canada and Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the union which represents its flight attendants, have reached an agreement to end mediation on wage increases, according to BNN Bloomberg.
Canada’s flag carrier said that the union requested to dispense the process of mediation regarding wage increases and opted to move directly to arbitration.
Air Canada and CUPE had reached a four-year tentative agreement for its flight attendants last August, according to Global News. Notably, most of the airline’s flight attendants have voted to reject the wage increase. This issue regarding wage increases will still be under negotiations while the rest of the tentative agreement, which includes no labour disruptions, is set to move forward.
The issue of wages usually goes into mediation before arbitration. However, the union revealed to Global News that the move to directly proceed to arbitration and not undergo mediation was because it was unlikely for Air Canada to provide an offer that the flight attendant will deem acceptable.
In a statement, the union stated that it spent nine months bargaining with the company regarding the wages but it did not seem that three more days of mediation will not lead to an “acceptable result.”
“The union is therefore seeking an expedited process that will put money in our members’ pockets and conclude this process as quickly as possible,” CUPE’s statement read.
Upon announcing that it has agreed to CUPE’s request, Air Canada assured that its flight operations will continue as normal.
“While remaining committed to the entirety of the process, Air Canada, in a spirit of cooperation, has agreed to CUPE’s request. This will provide cabin crew with wage increases and their retro pay, dating back to April 2025, as soon as possible,” Air Canada said in a statement.
The arbitration will proceed on Friday, as requested by the union.
