Air Canada pilots have voted overwhelmingly in favour of authorizing union leaders to call a strike, which could begin 17SEP.
The Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l (ALPA) announced on 22AUG that 98% of Air Canada pilots participated in the vote, with 98% voting in favour of job action to achieve a new contract with the airline.
"Air Canada pilots are working under pay rates and quality-of-life provisions negotiated in 2014," the union said in a statement.
Negotiations for a new agreement started in June 2023. The talks moved into private mediation in January 2024 and continued until June 2024. At that point, the union filed a notice of dispute and entered conciliation because the two sides couldn't reach a new collective agreement.
“Today, more than 5,400 Air Canada pilots sent a clear message to management that we are willing to go the distance to secure a contract that reflects the value we bring to Air Canada,” said first officer Charlene Hudy, chair of the Air Canada ALPA Master Executive Council.
Hudy said the goal is to avoid a strike.
“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. After more than a year of negotiations, management must now come to the realization that if they fail to reach an agreement, they will be responsible for us withdrawing our services.”
The workers will be in a legal strike position starting 17SEP, which leaves a good deal of time for talks to escalate.
ALPA said pilots are "prepared for any outcome," thanks to a $5 million grant from the union war chest. The grant was unanimously authorized by ALPA's Executive Board to support contract negotiations in the final stage.
“Air Canada pilots are committed to avoiding a strike and the flight disruptions that would follow, and that's why we continue to negotiate in good faith,” continued Hudy. “Air Canada management has the power – and the resources – to avoid a strike, flight disruptions, and lasting damage to its brand. All they have to do is recognize the value of their employees.”
In a written statement on 08AUG, pilots said federal conciliation will end on 26AUG, at which point a 21-day cooling-off period will begin.
Air Canada president and CEO Michael Rousseau addressed the pilot talks in a conference call on 07AUG, following the release of AC’s second quarter financial statement.
The airline has a number of issues to deal with this year, he said, including “entering new stages of certain labour agreements, which have to be cost competitive in the Canadian market for us to be successful.”
“We have reached agreement on several items," Rousseau said. "There’s more obviously to agree on and we’re hoping we can do that over the next several weeks.”
Air Canada pilots will be legally able to initiate job action in mid-September if no agreement is reached.
