Feds Say Probe of Unpaid Flight Attendant Work Should Wrap by Early December

The federal government says it hopes to wrap up a probe into allegations of unpaid work in Canada’s airline sector by early December.

That news comes as flight attendants from across Canada represented by CUPE head to Parliament Hill tomorrow, September 16, to add their voices to a call on Ottawa to act to end unpaid labour.

“Unpaid work is a systemic issue requiring a systemic solution,” said Wesley Lesosky, President of CUPE’s Airline Division representing 20,000 flight attendants at 11 airlines in Canada. 

“Flight attendants should not have to negotiate — or go on strike — for a right that every other Canadian already enjoys: to be paid for their time at work. The federal government must act without delay to end this abusive practice in our industry.”

Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu announced last month that her ministry would launch an investigation into allegations of unpaid work in the airline sector, which came on the heels of a nearly four-day Air Canada flight attendant strike that grounded hundreds of flights. Hajdu called the allegations “deeply disturbing.”

Flight attendant unions say that their members work on average 35 hours every month for free, performing safety-related duties including pre-flight safety checks, attending to onboard emergencies, assisting passengers with additional needs, boarding, deplaning, and delays. 

Flight attendant compensation at North American airlines typically begins when the doors are closed prior to takeoff and ends on landing.

Hajdu told Canadian Press that new legislation is possible, but Ottawa wants to be “very careful” about what it does next to ensure it upholds the right for union members and employers to bargain over terms of their work.

She says the key question she has is whether there is a loophole that lets employers avoid their obligations to compensate flight attendants fairly for their work.

Employment and Social Development Canada will host round tables with industry stakeholders this month and next, and has set an October 17 deadline for feedback.

The union representing Air Canada’s flight attendants massively rejected a tentative agreement, sending the parties into mediation.