Almost Unanimous: 99.7% of Air Canada Flight Attendants Vote for Strike Mandate
by Bruce Parkinson
Air Canada and its flight attendants remain without a deal.
Air Canada’s flight attendants sent a strong message to the airline today, with 99.7% of members voting for a strike mandate.
The Air Canada Component of the CUPE union came out strong after a week of balloting, with 94.6% of eligible voters casting a vote.
“Flight attendants have had a chance to weigh in and tell the company it’s time to get serious about negotiating,” said Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada Component of CUPE, in a statement.
Air Canada responded in a statement that it believes “there is more than enough time” to reach an agreement and avoid disrupting “the plans of hundreds of thousands of travellers.”
Air Canada added that it is eager to resume discussions, which were suspended during the union vote. The airline says it is determined to “reach a fair and equitable collective agreement that recognizes the contributions of its flight attendants and supports the competitiveness and long-term growth of the company.”
The union called for a strike vote on July 25 after it concluded the conciliation process with Air Canada without finding a deal. Voting on the strike mandate has been in progress since July 28.
John Kirk, Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief of Travel Market Report Canada, offered his advice “If you’re a consumer looking to book flights with Air Canada, I strongly recommend contacting a professional Travel Advisor and let them take care of your arrangements. In the event of a strike, they’ll be your best line of defence. If you choose to book on your own, I strongly advise purchasing a fully refundable fare.”
A 10-year agreement with the airline ended in March of this year, and flight attendants are seeking improvements in a number of areas, including pay, unpaid work and pensions.
CUPE before, during and after flights, flight attendants are required to perform “hours of unpaid mandatory” duties, including safety checks, boarding, deplaning and assisting passengers with special needs. Flight attendants don’t get paid until the doors of the aircraft close for departure, and their shift ends when the doors open at destination.
Following the expiration of the unsuccessful 60-day conciliation period on July 25, a 21-day ‘cooling-off period’ began. With today’s strong strike mandate, that ends on August 16. The union could then issue a 72-hour strike notice, which would mean a strike would begin as early as August 16.
On October 10, 2024, Air Canada’s 5,400 pilots ratified a new four-year contract with significant improvements to compensation. Reuters reported that it saw an executive summary of the new contract and that it gave pilots a general cumulative pay increase of about 42%. Forging that agreement took both parties down to the wire.
At the time of the pilot deal, Air Canada was flying high financially. The situation is somewhat different this year due to tariff and trade battles with the U.S. that have resulted in some Canadian boycotting travel to the U.S. Air Canada profits dropped by more than 50% in the second quarter of 2025.
In late July, flight attendants at United Airlines rejected a tentative agreement that was negotiated in May. It would have seen FAs get immediate raises of 26%, put other improvements. Over 70% of flight attendant union members voted against the deal.
