Air Canada strike 2025: Union says flight attendants intend to walkout this weekend - cancelling flights and disrupting air travel
The union representing Air Canada's flight attendants has signalled that its members intend to go on strike this weekend.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) gave the carrier a requisite 72-hour notice after the two sides reached an impasse in negotiations. The earliest workers can walk off the job is on Saturday at 12:58 a.m. ET.
The two sides have been negotiating a new collective agreement since March, going over key issues like wages, work rules and unpaid hours. Air Canada said late Tuesday afternoon that the two sides were far apart in negotiations.
CBC News reported on Tuesday that CUPE had declined a proposal by Air Canada to resolve the talks through binding interest arbitration, and that both the union and the airline were back to reviewing each others' proposals. With the collective bargaining agreement expiring and no official resolution yet, the risk of a disruptive work stoppage is likely.
A strike or lockout would not only severely impact Air Canada’s operations but also cause widespread chaos across the nation’s air travel system, affecting thousands of travellers and straining the broader aviation industry. The airline and the union are under intense pressure to resolve their differences.
Hope remains that a last-minute deal could be struck in time to avoid the chaos that a strike would bring.