BREAKING NEWS: Air Transat Pilots Issue 72-Hour Strike Notice – Walkout Could Begin Wednesday

The union representing Air Transat’s pilots has issued a a 72-hour strike notice that could see pilots striking as early as Wednesday.

Earlier this week, the pilots overwhelmingly (99%) voted to give their union the authority to declare a strike.

The Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) said in a statement that it still hoped to reach an agreement with Air Transat management before declaring a strike. 

“No pilot wants to strike, but Air Transat management has left us no choice,” said Capt. Bradley Small, chair of the Air Transat Master Executive Council.

“There is still time to avoid a strike,” Small said, but added “we will strike if that’s what it takes to achieve a modern contract.” 

Negotiations between the iunion and the airline began in January, three months before the expiration of the collective agreement.

Key issues include pay, benefits, work rules and job security. The previous agreement was signed in 2015.

Transat is currently facing another issue, as Quebec media tycoon Pierre Karl Peladeau is demanding a board shakeup, leadership overhaul and a seat on the board of Transat A.T. Inc.

Peladeau has a long history with Transat, and the CEO of Quebecor Inc. is the company’s second-largest shareholder through his investment firm Financiere Outremont Inc., which owns 9.5% of the company. 

He attempted to purchase Transat back in December, 2020, matching a low-ball bid by Air Canada in the depths of the pandemic. 

Peladeau says Transat’s balance sheet is “broken.” He called for the company’s board to be reduced to six directors — with him among three new members — from 11 currently. The other two proposed board members are pollster and economist Jean-Marc Leger and Quebecor vice-chair Andre Brosseau.