Air Canada Pilots Demonstrate at Airports Across the Country

On the heels of Air Canada pilots authorizing a strike vote, more than 2,000 pilots participated in a nationwide informational picket on August 27, across all Air Canada bases, in Toronto, Ont.; Vancouver, B.C.; Montréal, Qué.; and Winnipeg, Man. Supported by ALPA’s national officers and their peers from other airlines, Air Canada pilots demonstrated their unquestionable resolve and solidarity in modernizing their decade-old contract.

“Our goal is to reach an agreement; however, our employer continues to force us closer to a strike position by not listening to our needs at the negotiating table regarding fair compensation, respectable retirement benefits, and quality-of-life improvements,” said F/O Charlene Hudy, the pilot group’s Master Executive Council chair.

On August 22, Air Canada pilots announced that they voted overwhelmingly in favour to authorize union leaders to call a strike. With 98 percent of members participating, 98 percent of Air Canada pilots voted in favour of a job action, if necessary, to achieve a new contractual agreement with Air Canada.

The pilots are working under pay rates and quality-of-life provisions bargained in 2014. Negotiations for a new agreement began in June 2023. Talks entered private mediation in January 2024 and lasted until June, at which point the union decided to file a notice of dispute and enter conciliation because the two sides were unable to reach a new collective agreement.

“More than 5,400 Air Canada pilots sent a clear message to management that we’re willing to go the distance to secure a contract that reflects the value we bring to Air Canada,” said Hudy. “After more than a year of negotiations, management must now come to the realization that if it fails to reach an agreement, it will be responsible for us withdrawing our services.”

The pilots are prepared for any outcome, thanks in large part to a $US5 million grant from ALPA’s war chest, which was unanimously authorized by the Association’s Executive Board to support final-stage contact negotiations.

“Air Canada pilots are committed to avoiding a strike and the flight disruptions that would follow, and that’s why we continue to negotiate in good faith,” continued Hudy. “Management has the power—and the resources—to avoid a strike, flight disruptions, and lasting damage to its brand. All it has to do is recognize the value of its employees.”

The pilot group will be in a legal position to begin a job action on September 18 if no agreement has been reached by the end of the cooling-off period.

This article was originally published in the September 2024 issue of Air Line Pilot.