Labour board declares Air Canada flight attendant strike illegal, CUPE says it won’t back down

Air Canada says the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) has declared strike action by 10,000 of the airline’s flight attendants illegal.

Following a hearing on Sunday, CIRB has ordered the leadership of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) to direct its members back to work.

The board has also directed individual union members to immediately stop all unlawful activities.

Air Canada flights have been grounded since Aug. 16 due to the strike action. The airline now estimates over 500,000 customer’s flights have been cancelled as a result.

Prime Minister Mark Carney says he is urging both sides to reach an agreement.

“We are in a situation where literally hundreds of thousands of Canadians and visitors to our country are being disrupted by this action,” he said, speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Monday.

At a press conference on Monday, CUPE made it clear they will not back down despite being ordered to immediately halt all strike action by the labour board.

“We will not turn our back on these workers,” CUPE National President Mark Hancock said.

“We will not turn our back on these members. We’re going to continue to support these flight attendants that are walking the picket line […] We will do whatever it takes to get them a collective agreement they can vote on.”

When asked how far they were willing to go, Hancock said “there’s no limit.”

“We’re going to stay strong. We’re going to stay committed to making sure those workers can do the job that they love doing and actually be able to afford a roof over their heads, [and] caring for their families. If it means folks like me going to jail, then so be it.”

READ MORE: Air Canada flight attendants intend to stay on strike