Five flight attendants interviewed by Reuters said they plan to vote against the agreement because it fails to provide a living wage to entry-level workers and does not fully address concerns about lack of payment for hours spent waiting for a flight. The leader of the union acknowledged many members were frustrated with the deal, which was hailed initially as a union victory following an overnight blitz of talks.
Flight attendants defied government efforts to end the strike, forcing Air Canada back to the bargaining table, where negotiators struck a deal to end the four-day action that stranded half a million passengers. This raised hopes that Canada’s biggest airline had agreed to pay crews for time spent on the ground for duties such as boarding passengers rather than just when the plane is moving. The proposed contract made some critical gains, but as details were disclosed it became clear there were limits to the ground pay offered. This frustrated many participants attending town hall-style meetings, one attendant said.
Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) that represents flight attendants, said he understood members’ frustration.
“If it’s turned down, the wage portion of the tentative agreement will be resolved at arbitration; the remaining items will move forward,” as the agreement, he said.
“The union fought hard to get the company to agree to move the wage piece forward in isolation from the other items, and we feel we were successful because our members held strong on picket lines.”
Flight attendants voting from August 27 to September 6, cannot legally strike again if they reject the offer, the union said. But voting against the contract would prolong talks in a dispute that caused Air Canada to withdraw financial guidance for the year.
Air Canada’s offer still is not “liveable,” said one flight attendant who asked not to be named.
Over the four years, the gains would add up to roughly a 20% wage hike for entry-level flight attendants and 16% for more experienced cabin crew.