Arbitrator sides with Air Canada

A federal arbitrator has sided with Air Canada in its ongoing labour dispute with the company’s pilots.

The arbitrator’s selection of Air Canada’s final offer means a new collective agreement with the three thousand pilots goes into effect after 19 months of negotiations and mediated talks.

Air Canada says the agreement preserves its pilots’ compensation and benefits in the top quartile of the North American industry, and will help ensure the sustainibility of the company’s defined benefit pension plans.