Air Canada strike ruled illegal

The CIRB ruled Air Canada flight attendants’ strike illegal and ordered workers back to work as talks on pay and conditions continue.

Air Canada flight attendants strike declared illegal

TORONTO AP — The Canada Industrial Relations Board declared Air Canada flight attendants’ strike illegal and ordered a return to work after the union ignored an earlier order to resume duties and enter arbitration.

The walkout, now in its third day, disrupted about 130,000 travelers daily during the peak summer period. Air Canada paused plans to restart operations after the union rejected the return-to-work order. The CIRB directed the union to notify all members by noon that they must resume duties and refrain from unlawful strike activities. It remained unclear what enforcement options the board or the government will pursue if the walkout continues.

The sides are eight months into talks over pay and working rules, with Air Canada offering a total compensation bump of 38 percent over four years, including benefits and pensions. The union argues inflation makes the offer insufficient. Passengers can seek refunds via the airline’s site or app. The government previously used arbitration in rail disputes, a precedent that looms over this case.

The clash highlights how quickly a labor dispute can intersect with politics and daily life. When legal channels run into a stalemate, timing matters because peak travel requires predictable service. The next steps will test not just pay scales but how much leverage the state is willing to deploy in essential services. Watch how the dispute framing—fair pay versus operational stability—shapes future negotiations and policy responses.

Highlights

The coming days will reveal whether a legal trigger can translate into a faster path to a contract.