Air Canada Flight Chaos: Union Defies Back-to-Work Order, Stranding Thousands Amid Peak Summer Travel

TORONTO – Air Canada has announced the suspension of its planned operational restart following a defiant stance from the union representing 10,000 flight attendants. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has rejected a direct order from the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to return to work, exacerbating a strike that is already impacting approximately 130,000 travelers daily during the peak summer travel season.

Despite the CIRB’s directive for staff to return by Sunday afternoon, and Air Canada’s subsequent plan to resume flights Sunday evening, the airline now states operations will not restart until Monday evening. Air Canada has condemned the union’s actions, calling the defiance of the CIRB order ‘illegal.’

Mark Hancock, national president of CUPE, emphatically declared outside Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, ‘Our members are not going back to work. We are saying no.’ He was seen tearing up a copy of the back-to-work order and indicated that flight attendants would not return on Tuesday either, as members chanted ‘Don’t blame me, blame AC.’

The federal government, through Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu’s spokeswoman Jennifer Kozelj, stated they are closely monitoring the situation, emphasizing the CIRB’s independence. This escalating dispute began early Saturday morning when flight attendants walked off the job, prompting Air Canada to initiate a lockout. The union had previously rejected the airline’s request for government-directed arbitration.

The strike’s immediate impact is severe, with passengers like Mel Durston from England and James Hart and Zahara Virani from Calgary facing canceled flights and significant additional costs. Air Canada is offering full refunds and attempting to rebook passengers on other airlines, though it warns that rebooking is challenging due to the high demand of the summer travel period.

The protracted contract negotiations, ongoing for eight months, have stalled primarily over disagreements on pay and compensation for unpaid ground work. While Air Canada cited a proposed 38% increase in total compensation over four years, CUPE argued that the initial 8% raise was insufficient given current inflation rates.

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