Air Canada flight attendants to hold nation-wide pickets on Monday

Unionized Air Canada flight attendants are expected to picket around the country beginning on Monday, Aug. 11.

Picketing action is expected to take place at airports in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal.

Approximately 10,000 flight attendants are being represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which has been in talks with Air Canada since the beginning of the year.

Key sticking points in the negotiations include non-working hours and what CUPE representatives have called “poverty wages.”

Earlier this week, the union said 99.7 of its members voted in favour of strike action if necessary.

“We’re heading into an intense weekend of bargaining, with strong support from our members,” Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada component of CUPE said.

“The standard simply can’t be maintained, because it’s no longer acceptable.”

Picket lines will be held at the following airports:

• Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport – 1 p.m. ET
• Toronto Pearson International Airport – 1 p.m. ET
• Vancouver International Airport – 10 a.m. PT
• Calgary International Airport – 11 a.m. MDT

READ MORE: Air Canada flight attendants vote near unanimously for strike mandate