Air Canada strike escalates as government orders end to walkout

Union flight attendants continue their walkout after a government order to end the action, as carriers and travelers face a tense week in the peak travel season.

Air Canada flight attendants defy back-to-work order and remain on strike

About 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants walked out on a Saturday, joining a bitter dispute over what the union calls poverty wages and unpaid labor. Air Canada, which operates roughly 700 flights a day, began locking workers out of airports as tensions rose. Under 12 hours later, the federal government ordered the end of the stoppage and the airline said it aimed to resume flying by Sunday evening, but the union said it would challenge the order, calling it unconstitutional. The walkout has disrupted travel for tens of thousands of passengers and highlighted a broader debate over pay for time spent on the ground and in preflight tasks that are not compensated in the airline's standard wage structure.

Canada's labor minister said the talks had reached an impasse and that the country was feeling the impact from coast to coast. The minister invoked a provision of the Canada Labour Code to restore industrial peace by forcing binding arbitration, a move analysts say could set a precedent for future battles in essential sectors. Air Canada had previously offered a wage increase described as more than 38 percent in global compensation, but the union argues that inflation erodes the value of that offer. The carrier also suggested paying flight attendants 50 percent of their wage for work done before takeoff, a proposal the union rejected as insufficient. About 70 percent of Air Canada flight attendants are women, a fact the union points to in arguing for fair treatment and parity with pilots, who recently received a raise. In public remarks, union officials said they were focused on securing fair pay for all work performed, including time spent on the ground and during boarding.

The government’s use of sweeping powers to end a strike at a major national carrier underscores a growing tension between industrial peace and workers' rights. While the move may stabilize schedules in the short term, critics warn it could chill labor activism and erode the bargaining power of workers in essential services. The clash also raises questions about how progress on pay is measured when much of the job happens off the flight deck and out of public sight.

Beyond the pay question, the episode exposes a broader strain in the travel economy. Airlines rely on reliable staffing to meet seasonal demand, and public confidence can falter when disruptions ripple across routes. The case could influence how airlines negotiate with crews in the year ahead, with potential ripple effects for wage negotiations in transportation and other critical sectors.

Highlights

The next steps will test how quickly a nation can balance fair pay with open skies.