Air Canada Flight Attendants Slam Wage Offer With 99.4% Rejection—strike Threats Loom As New Mediation starts

Published on September 7, 2025

By: Rana Pratap

The woody offered by Air Canada to its formation attendants has been declined, pinch 99.4% voted against it, frankincense signaling an aggravated conflict during nan ongoing negotiations pinch CUPE. Maybe it is because nan attendants would gain still little than nan minimum costs that is hiked, nan proposals that nan hose made was harshly contested by nan CUPE. The voting rejection now paves nan measurement towards challenger arbitration and mediation arsenic some sides look prepared to nan drawn-out and achy resolution. While Air Canada insists it’s looking for nan solution of nan dispute, nan union’s tremendous ballot says that nan formation attendants are resolved to get reasonable costs for nan activity that is done for nan information and nan work of nan passengers.

A Pay Offer Below Minimum Wage

Wage increases notwithstanding, nan connection was perceived to beryllium inadequate. As per nan airline’s offer, nan Air Canada formation attendants’ wages, moreover aft nan increases, would stay beneath nan national minimum costs of $17.75 per hour, which translates to $2,840 per period connected a 40-hour activity week. At Air Canada Rouge, full-time formation attendants would gain $2,219 per month, and full-time mainline attendants would gain a meager $2,522. Not only do these dollar amounts neglect to meet basal standards of living, they besides put nan workers successful nan position of being capable to suffice for authorities income assistance—an incredibly disturbing business for labor of nan nationalist flagship airline.

The Airline’s Proposal

Air Canada offered Rouge formation attendants a 12% summation arsenic good arsenic immoderate mainline attendants pinch 5 years of acquisition aliases less. Mainline formation attendants pinch 6 years aliases much of work received an 8% increase. Furthermore, for nan remaining years of nan 4-year contract, an summation of 3%, 2.5%, and 2.75% were offered for nan years 1, 2, and 3 of nan term.

To nan national however, these increases were lacking. Given nan ample gross nan hose makes, nan projected salary, particularly pinch respect to nan magnitude of effort a worker has to put in, is highly inadequate.

CUPE’s Strong Response

The national representing nan formation attendants, nan Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), has expressed outrage astatine nan offer, highlighting nan request for amended compensation. Wesley Lesosky, President of CUPE’s Air Canada Component, did not mince words successful denouncing nan offer. In his statement, he emphasized nan captious domiciled of formation attendants and their dedication to rider safety, saying that nan costs proposals grounded to admit their worth.

“Air Canada ne'er bargained successful bully religion connected wages,” said Wesley Lesosky, President of nan Air  Canada Component of CUPE. “ By CEO Michael Rousseau‘s ain admission, the institution expected  nan national authorities to intervene and return distant nan only leverage we had – our correct to spell on  strike. Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu only waited 11 hours to beryllium nan institution right.”

The engagement of nan national authorities has been a constituent of contention. CUPE accuses nan authorities of skewing nan negotiations successful favour of Air Canada, diminishing nan bargaining powerfulness of nan national and its members.

Air Canada’s Response

Air Canada, connected nan different hand, has defended nan costs connection and stated that nan agreement, reached successful August 2025, was a adjacent and balanced attack that included improvements successful wages, pensions, and benefits. The hose maintains that nary concessions were made by nan national during nan negotiations and that a important modernization of compensation for activity performed connected nan crushed had been included.

“Air Canada is afloat committed to nan mediation and arbitration process,” nan hose said successful a statement. “We profoundly admit nan patience and nan assurance our customers person shown arsenic we worked done this process. We convey each of our labor for their dedication during this time.”

The hose besides pointed retired that they had mutually agreed pinch CUPE that if nan tentative statement was not ratified, nan matter of wages would beryllium referred to mediation, and if necessary, arbitration. The hose further emphasized that location would beryllium nary onslaught aliases lockout, and flights would proceed to run arsenic scheduled.

The Role of Mediation and Arbitration

The rejection of nan costs connection by formation attendants now shifts nan rumor to mediation. Both sides person agreed to a neutral third-party mediator to thief facilitate a resolution. Should mediation fail, nan matter will beryllium escalated to arbitration. Despite nan statement that nary onslaught aliases lockout will hap during nan mediation process, nan union’s ballot is simply a clear awesome of dissatisfaction, and nan unit will beryllium connected some parties to scope an statement swiftly.

Flight attendants are not conscionable fighting for higher wages but for a nickname of nan captious domiciled they play successful ensuring nan information of passengers. Although immoderate advancement was made regarding compensation for unpaid crushed duties, nan conflict to reside each aspects of formation attendants’ activity remains ongoing.

A Crucial Moment for Air Canada

The 99.4% rejection ballot sends a powerful connection to Air Canada that its formation attendants are not consenting to settee for a woody that doesn’t meet their basal needs and admit their invaluable domiciled successful aviation safety. With nan adjacent shape of negotiations group to begin, each eyes will beryllium connected some nan hose and nan authorities to spot if they tin travel to an statement that addresses nan concerns of nan workers.

For Air Canada, this infinitesimal will trial its committedness to resolving nan rumor without further disruption. As mediation begins, nan result will person a lasting effect connected nan airline’s narration pinch its labor and nan early of its labour negotiations.

About Air Canada

Air Canada is nan country’s largest hose and emblem carrier, offering scheduled services to complete 180 airports worldwide. As a founding personnel of Star Alliance, it connects passengers to a broad world network. The hose holds a Four-Star standing from Skytrax and runs Aeroplan, Canada’s apical recreation loyalty program.

Through Air Canada Vacations, it provides extended recreation options to hundreds of destinations, including flights, hotels, cruises, and car rentals. The hose besides operates Air Canada Cargo, offering aerial freight services crossed six continents.

With a committedness to sustainability, Air Canada has group a semipermanent extremity of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Air Canada formation attendants person slammed nan airline’s costs offer, rejecting it pinch a crushing 99.4% vote, arsenic nan projected salary remains beneath national minimum wage. With mediation now underway, nan overwhelming rejection raises nan stakes, and though nary onslaught has been called, tensions are precocious arsenic some sides look nan looming threat of disruption.

Conclusion

The rejection of Air Canada’s costs connection is simply a pivotal infinitesimal successful nan ongoing conflict for adjacent compensation and nickname of formation attendants’ basal work. With mediation and arbitration now connected nan table, some sides look an important crossroads. The stakes are high, and nan solution of this conflict will not only impact nan livelihoods of thousands of formation attendants but besides style nan early of labour negotiations successful nan hose industry.

As nan mediation process gets underway, some Air Canada and CUPE will beryllium nether immense unit to find communal crushed and debar further tensions. The mobility remains: will nan hose admit nan worth of its workers and present a woody that reflects their publication to nan information and occurrence of nan airline?