Air Canada Pilots Overwhelmingly Vote to Authorize Strike

Air Canada pilots on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, another chapter in an ongoing contract dispute with the airline.

The pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), voted 98% in favor of authorizing a strike, if necessary, to “achieve a new contractual agreement” with the airline.

Negotiations on a new contract started in June 2023 and entered private mediation in January 2024. In June, the union filed a notice of dispute and entered conciliation because the two sides were still so far apart.

The union now looks towards a possible strike, which it maintains it wants to avoid, but will undertake if a deal isn’t reached.

“Our goal is to avoid a strike, and our focus remains on modernizing our contract for Air Canada pilots. However, management continues to force us closer to a strike position by not listening to our needs at the negotiating table regarding fair compensation, respectable retirement benefits, and quality-of-life improvements,” First Officer Charlene Hudy, chair of the Air Canada ALPA Master Executive Council, said.

A strike could happen as soon as mid-September.

ALPA also represented WestJet pilots in negotiations with that airline earlier this year. WestJet was able to avert a strike by those pilots by striking a deal within hours of a strike commencing.