Air Canada flight attendants vote near unanimously for strike mandate

Around 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants have voted almost unanimously in favour of a strike mandate, and are prepared to strike within two weeks.

The Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents over 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, said Tuesday its members voted 99.7 per cent in favour of strike action if necessary.

A strike mandate shows union members are prepared to strike.

The vote began July 28, and ended Tuesday which means flight attendants can potentially walk off the job as soon as Aug. 16, with at least 72 hours’ notice provided.

The union says the vote reflected a “deep frustration of flight attendants after months of negotiations without result, due to the airline’s refusal to fairly negotiate on key issues like unpaid work, work rules, and poverty-level wages.”

One of the biggest issues is when pay starts.

Right now, it starts once the boarding doors are shut and stops when they open on arrival.

The union wants flight attendants to be paid starting with passenger pre-boarding.

They say entry-level Air Canada flight attendants’ wages have increased only 10 per cent – around $3 an hour – in the past 25 years.

Air Canada said Tuesday it “firmly believes that there is more than enough time to reach such an agreement and avoid disrupting the plans of hundreds of thousands of travellers.”

“Air Canada is determined to reach a fair and equitable collective agreement that recognizes the contributions of its flight attendants and supports the competitiveness and long-term growth of the company,” reads a statement from the company.

With files from The Canadian Press.

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