Summary Over 98% of Air Canada pilots voted in favor of a strike mandate, sending a clear message to management. Pilots feel undervalued compared to US counterparts, citing outdated contracts and low pay levels. Airline CEO hopes to reach a deal soon, but compensation and wages remain a sticking point in negotiations.
Air Canada pilots may be able to strike as early as September 17th after an overwhelming majority of them - more than 98% - voted in favor of a strike mandate. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) took the vote, representing more than 5,400 pilots at the country’s flag carrier. Why strike? In June 2024, Air Canada pilots, represented by ALPA, filed a contract dispute with the Canadian Mediation and Conciliation Service after the union and the airline failed to come to an agreement after contract negotiations began a year prior.
The negotiation process will end this Monday, followed by a 21-day cooling-off period, after which the pilots can strike . It leaves September 17th as the earliest day disruptions can occur. The month of September is one of the busiest for Air Canada, as it's wrapping up the summer travel season and could result in the airline becoming crippled.
Speaking to the Toronto Star , Charlene Hudy, the Head of the ALPA Air Canada contingent, said that the vote is “a clear message to management” that pilots are willing to take drastic action to secure a better deal. Hudy says the current contract had elements from nearly two decades ago when the airline filed for bankruptcy in 2003. According to the pilots, Air Canada's pay levels pale compared to those of their US counterparts, such as Delta Air Lines , United Airlines , and American Airlines .
In the last two years, pilots in the US have secured new contracts, which means they are getting compensated nearly twice as much as pilots flying for Air Canada. Hudy commented on the difference, saying: “We all fly passengers under the Star Alliance. So we’re flying the same passengers in the same airspace on some of the very same routes, and those pilots are being compensated dramatically more than us.
” In a scathing comment, Hudy said that Air Canada has continued to undervalue its pilots’ contributions to keeping the airline successful after 2003 and that the airline is the only North American airline that hasn’t returned their pilot pay to pre-9/11 levels. What does the airline say? Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau told the press earlier this month that the union and airline agree on most points and that he hopes to reach a deal in the coming weeks. But this has not come to pass.
Representatives of the airline paint a more positive image. Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, Air Canada’s Chief Human Resources Officer, said the two sides see eye-to-eye on numerous articles in the contract. However, compensation and wages are a sticking point.
The “stale and outdated” 10-year-old contract leaves much to be desired for the pilots. They ask for better pay, retirement benefits, and other quality-of-life improvements. Meloul-Wechsler said, “But of course, with a 10-year deal, it creates a bit of pent-up demand.
So it’s time to refresh that agreement.” The ALPA and Airline are keen to avoid disruptions, but the union wants more from management. If the union strikes, it must issue a 72-hour notice.
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