Air Canada Flight Attendants to Defy Back-to-Work Order – The Wall Street Journal
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Air Canada flights to remain suspended as flight attendants continue strike, defying government’s back-to-work order
More than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants will continue their strike despite back-to-work orders. Canadian Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu instructed the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to order Air Canada and its employees to “resume and continue their operations and duties” Air Canada said in a statement that it has canceled 240 flights operating Sunday afternoon because the CUPE “illegally directed its flight attendant members” to defy the return- to-work order. Air Canada has said it offered a 38% increase in total compensation over four years and an hourly raise of 12% to 16% in the first year in the dispute with the Canadian Union of Public Employees. The workers are seeking wage increases and paid compensation for work when planes are grounded.
More than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants will continue their strike despite back-to-work orders from the Canadian government, the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said Sunday.
“At this time, you are still on Strike and Locked out! Please remember while we are locked out there is no obligation to be in contact with the employer, no responsibility to check Globe or your work email or to contact them for reassignment or reserve duties,” the union wrote in a committee update.
The decision to remain on strike defies the Canadian Jobs Minister’s decision to intervene using Section 107 of the Canada Labor Code. On Saturday, Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu instructed the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to order Air Canada and its employees to “resume and continue their operations and duties in order to secure industrial peace and protect the interests of Canada, Canadians and the economy.”
On Saturday, flight attendants were ordered to “resume their duties” by 2 p.m. ET Sunday, according to a statement from the Air Canada component of CUPE. The CUPE said it invited Air Canada back to the negotiating table, “rather than relying on the federal government to do their dirty work for them when bargaining gets a little bit tough.”
Air Canada had requested on Tuesday that the government intervene using the provision, which allows the minister to direct an arbitrator to intervene in the dispute, the CUPE said Friday in a statement.
Air Canada said in a statement that it has canceled 240 flights operating Sunday afternoon because the CUPE “illegally directed its flight attendant members” to defy the return-to-work order.
Air Canada said it will notify customers whose flights are canceled and advised customers not to go to the airport unless they have confirmed flights on other airlines. Air Canada said flights will resume Monday evening.
Members of the Air Canada component of CUPE voted 99.7% in favor of the strike last week and walked out around 1 a.m. ET on Saturday. The workers are seeking wage increases and paid compensation for work when planes are grounded.
Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada component of CUPE, said Saturday that the Canadian government was “violating our Charter rights to take job action and give Air Canada exactly what they want – hours and hours of unpaid labour from underpaid flight attendants, while the company pulls in sky-high profits and extraordinary executive compensation.”
Air Canada has said it offered a 38% increase in total compensation over four years and an hourly raise of 12% to 16% in the first year.
Hajdu denied that the Canadian government is anti-union, adding that it was clear Air Canada and union workers were “at an impasse” and “they need some help in arbitrating the final items.”
Air Canada and the Canadian Labor Ministry did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Travelers wait outside the Air Canada departure gates as flight attendants strike at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on August 16, 2025. – Sammy Kogan/The Canadian Press/AP
CNN’s Paula Newton contributed to this report.
This story has been updated with additional content.
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Air Canada crew to remain on strike despite airline announcing flight resumption
Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees have been in contract talks for about eight months. The union turned down the government’s offer of an 8% raise in the first year of a new contract. The government ordered the 10,000 flight attendants to return to work on Sunday. The strike is expected to affect about 700 flights a day, with the majority of them flights to and from the U.S. Air Canada said passengers will be able to claim a full refund on its website or mobile app if they are affected by the strike.
The statement comes after Air Canada announced that it will resume flights on Sunday evening after the order. The union, however, said that it would challenge the order directing more than 10,000 of its members to return to work.
The shutdown of Canada’s largest airline early on Saturday was impacting about 130,000 people a day. Air Canada operates around 700 flights per day.
Less than 12 hours after workers walked off the job, Canada’s Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu ordered the 10,000 flight attendants back to work, saying now is not the time to take risks with the economy and noting the unprecedented tariffs the US has imposed on the country. Hajdu referred the work stoppage to the Canada Industrial Relations Board.
The airline said on Sunday that the Canada Industrial Relations Board has extended the term of the existing collective agreement until the arbitrator determines a new one.
According to Air Canada, passengers whose flights are impacted will be eligible to request a full refund on the airline’s website or mobile app.
The Air Canada contract feud
The bitter contract fight between Air Canada and the cabin crew union escalated on Friday as the union turned down the airline’s prior request to enter into government-directed arbitration, which allows a third-party mediator to decide the terms of a new contract.
Flight attendants walked off the job around 1 AM EDT on Saturday. Around the same time, Air Canada said it would begin locking flight attendants out of airports.
Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees have been in contract talks for about eight months, but they have yet to reach a tentative deal.
Both sides have said they remain far apart on the issue of pay and the unpaid work flight attendants do when planes aren’t in the air.
The airline’s latest offer included a 38% increase in total compensation, including benefits and pensions, over four years, that it said “would have made our flight attendants the best compensated in Canada.”
But the union pushed back, saying the proposed 8% raise in the first year didn’t go far enough because of inflation.
According to numbers from aviation analytics provider Cirium, Air Canada had cancelled 671 flights by Saturday afternoon, following 199 on Friday. Another 96 flights scheduled for Sunday had already been suspended.
Air Canada flight attendants defy return-to-work order, forcing airline to delay plans to resume flights
The union representing 10,000 flight attendants says it will defy a return to work order. Air Canada says the union “illegally directed its flight attendant members to defy a direction from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board” The strike was already affecting about 130,000 travelers around the world per day during the peak summer travel season. The bitter contract fight escalated Friday as the union turned down Air Canada’s prior request to enter into government-directed arbitration, which allows a third-party mediator to decide the terms of a new contract.“Our members are not going back to work,” Canadian Union of Public Employees national president Mark Hancock said outside Toronto”s Pearson International Airport. “We are saying no,’’ Hancock said. The federal government didn’t immediately provide comment on the union refusing to return to the job, but it said it is clear the two sides are at an impasse. The airline said it would also offer alternative travel options through other Canadian and foreign airlines when possible.
The Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered airline staff back to work by 2 p.m. Sunday after the government intervened and Air Canada said it planned to resume flights Sunday evening.
Canada’s largest airline now says it will resume flights Monday evening. Air Canada said in a statement that the union “illegally directed its flight attendant members to defy a direction from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board.”
“Our members are not going back to work,” Canadian Union of Public Employees national president Mark Hancock said outside Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. “We are saying no.”
Hancock ripped up a copy of the back-to-work order outside the airport’s departures terminal where union members were picketing Sunday morning. He said they won’t return Tuesday either.
Flight attendants chanted “Don’t blame me, blame AC” outside Pearson.
The federal government didn’t immediately provide comment on the union refusing to return to work.
Hancock said the “whole process has been unfair” and said the union will challenge what it called an unconstitutional order.
Less than 12 hours after workers walked off the job, Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu ordered the 10,000 flight attendants back to work, saying now is not the time to take risks with the economy and noting the unprecedented tariffs the U.S. has imposed on Canada. Hajdu referred the work stoppage to the Canada Industrial Relations Board.
The airline said the CIRB has extended the term of the existing collective agreement until a new one is determined by the arbitrator.
The shutdown of Canada’s largest airline early Saturday was impacting about 130,000 people a day. Air Canada operates around 700 flights per day.
Tourist Mel Durston from southern England was trying to make the most of sightseeing in Canada. But she said she doesn’t have a way to continue her journey.
“We wanted to go see the Rockies, but we might not get there because of this,” Durston said. “We might have to head straight back.”
James Hart and Zahara Virani were visiting Toronto from Calgary, Alberta for what they thought would be a fun weekend. But they ended up paying $2,600 Canadian ($1,880) to fly with another airline on a later day after their Air Canada flight got canceled.
“It’s a little frustrating and stressful, but at the same time, I don’t blame the flight attendants at all,” Virani said. “What they’re asking for is not unreasonable whatsoever.”
Flight attendants walked off the job around 1 a.m. EDT on Saturday. Around the same time, Air Canada said it would begin locking flight attendants out of airports.
The bitter contract fight escalated Friday as the union turned down Air Canada’s prior request to enter into government-directed arbitration, which allows a third-party mediator to decide the terms of a new contract.
Last year, the government forced the country’s two major railroads into arbitration with their labor union during a work stoppage. The union for the rail workers is suing, arguing the government is removing a union’s leverage in negotiations.
Hajdu maintained that her Liberal government is not anti-union, saying it is clear the two sides are at an impasse.
Passengers whose flights are impacted will be eligible to request a full refund on the airline’s website or mobile app, according to Air Canada.
The airline said it would also offer alternative travel options through other Canadian and foreign airlines when possible. Still, it warned that it could not guarantee immediate rebooking because flights on other airlines are already full “due to the summer travel peak.”
Air Canada and CUPE have been in contract talks for about eight months, but they have yet to reach a tentative deal. Both sides have said they remain far apart on the issue of pay and the unpaid work flight attendants do when planes aren’t in the air.
The airline’s latest offer included a 38% increase in total compensation, including benefits and pensions, over four years, that it said “would have made our flight attendants the best compensated in Canada.”
But the union pushed back, saying the proposed 8% raise in the first year didn’t go far enough because of inflation.
Air Canada Flight Attendants to Defy Back-to-Work Order
The union representing 10,000 flight attendants says it will not return to work until a deal is reached. The strike began Saturday. Air Canada transports roughly 130,000 passengers a day and operates nearly 200 flights to the U.S.
Air Canada AC 0.56 %increase; green up pointing triangle is facing a crisis after its flight attendants walked off the job over the weekend and rejected a government order to return to work.
The union representing 10,000 flight attendants at Canada’s biggest airline said it would request that a judge block a government order Saturday that imposed binding arbitration to resolve a labor dispute between the union and carrier. The order came hours after Canadian Union of Public Employees members began their strike, which grounded flights.
Air Canada transports roughly 130,000 passengers a day and operates nearly 200 flights daily to the U.S.
Until its bid is heard, “we remain on strike,” the union said in a statement.
Canadian Government Ends Flight Attendants Strike
Canada’s labor policy minister, Patty Hajdu, said Saturday she came to her decision after meeting with the two sides on Friday night. Air Canada said some flights would resume Sunday evening, but warned it could take seven to 10 days before operations return to normal. The Canadian Union of Public Employees had accused the Montreal-based carrier of failing to make serious offers regarding pay.
OTTAWA—The Canadian government imposed binding arbitration on a labor dispute between the country’s biggest airline carrier, Air Canada AC 0.56 %increase; green up pointing triangle , and its 10,000 flight attendants, bringing a swift end to an hourslong strike triggered by a disagreement about pay.
Canada’s labor policy minister, Patty Hajdu , said Saturday she came to her decision after meeting with the two sides on Friday night and was convinced there was a low likelihood of a near-term deal. She previously had said that a negotiated settlement was the best option. “They are so far apart on a number of issues that they are going to need some help,” she said.
Air Canada’s flight attendants went on strike just before 1 a.m. ET Saturday, prompting the carrier to suspend operations. The Canadian Union of Public Employees had accused the Montreal-based carrier of failing to make serious offers regarding pay, adding the airline was counting on Ottawa to intervene and end the strike—like it did last summer during a simultaneous strike by the country’s two big railroads. Air Canada formally requested that the government impose binding arbitration, arguing talks were at an impasse.
The carrier started to ground operations on Thursday in anticipation of a labor disruption. Air Canada said some flights would resume Sunday evening, but warned it could take seven to 10 days days before operations return to normal. In a statement, the union, otherwise known as CUPE, said the government gave Air Canada what it wanted. CUPE made “reasonable proposals for a fair cost-of-living wage increase,” it said. “Air Canada responded by sandbagging the talks.”