Government Ends Air Canada Strike Chaos

By Elke Porter | WBN News Vancouver | August 16, 2025
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The Air Canada Component of CUPE, the union representing over 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, says its members have voted 99.7% in favour of strike action, if necessary. The dispute centres on what the union calls "unpaid work and poverty wages" affecting thousands of workers in a female-dominated profession.

The Air Canada Component of CUPE has issued a 72-hour strike notice to Air Canada after the airline refused to recognize that flight attendants should be paid for all their time on the job. Flight attendants currently work unpaid hours during boarding, deplaning, and ground delays – time that can add several hours to their workday without compensation. CUPE says it is looking to raise awareness about what it calls "poverty wages" and unpaid labour when working on a plane when it's not in the air.

Widespread Travel Disruption

The labour dispute affected far more than vacation plans. A possible strike by flight attendants has resulted in a scheduled lockout that may affect 130,000 passengers each day. Among those stranded were students trying to return for the fall semester, families rushing to visit dying relatives, and business travelers with critical meetings. Honeymooners found themselves stuck in airports while others missed once-in-a-lifetime events.

Air Canada began canceling flights days before the strike deadline, creating a ripple effect across North American aviation. The airline's preemptive shutdowns left passengers scrambling for alternative carriers, many at significantly higher costs.

What's Next

With the government's back-to-work order now in effect, Air Canada and CUPE will enter binding arbitration to resolve the dispute. The arbitration process could take weeks or months, leaving the underlying issues of unpaid work and wage equity unresolved in the immediate term. Flight attendants must return to work under their previous contract conditions while the arbitrator reviews both sides' positions.

The situation remains fluid as both parties assess the government intervention and prepare for the arbitration process ahead.

Widespread Travel Disruption

What's Next

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