ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Air Canada, pilots still far apart as strike notice deadline approaches

Share

Labour talks between Air Canada and its pilots are approaching a midnight deadline, when either side could trigger the start of a shutdown for Canada's largest airline.

After more than 14 months of negotiations, starting Sunday the two sides will be in a position to provide 72-hour notice of a strike or lockout that could disrupt travel for the more than 100,000 passengers who fly the airline daily.

In the days leading up to the deadline, the two sides have said they remain far apart on the central question of pay.

The Air Line Pilots Association union, representing more than 5,200 pilots, has said it is corporate greed that's holding up talks, as Air Canada continues to post record profits while expecting pilots to accept below-market compensation.

The airline has said the union is being inflexible with "unreasonable wage demands," prompting it to call for the government to be ready to intervene.

ALPA Canada president Capt. Tim Perry issued a statement on Friday, asking the federal government to respect workers’ collective bargaining rights and refrain from intervening in the bargaining process. He says the government intervention violates the constitutional rights and freedoms of Canadians.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau however has emphasized that it's up to the two sides to figure out a deal.

Speaking Friday, Trudeau said the government isn't just going to step in and fix the issue, something it did promptly after both of Canada's major railways saw lockouts in August and during a strike by WestJet mechanics on the Canada Day long weekend.

He said the government respects the right to strike and will only intervene if it becomes clear no negotiated agreement is possible.

Numerous business groups have called on the government to intervene to protect the business and travellers.

Air Canada has said it will have to start gradually shutting down operations once 72-hour notice is given as it will take time to properly position its 252 aircraft and its crews that fly to 47 countries.

It says if operations are shut down, it will take up to 10 days to resume normal operations.

The airline is offering travellers scheduled to fly between Sunday and Sept. 23 to change their flight for free, which is a potential for extending that, and said it will notify all travellers of any impact in advance of their flight.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:AC) 

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Court documents filed in the case of a Pakistani man arrested in Quebec for an alleged plot to kill Jews in New York City reveal the RCMP didn't have enough evidence to hold him in Canada.

A 14-year-old student who allegedly set her classmate on fire is facing a new charge.

Video of a brazen daylight auto theft which shows a suspect running over a victim in a stolen luxury SUV has been released by police west of Toronto.

DEVELOPING

DEVELOPING Exploding electronic devices kill 20, wound 450 in second day of explosions in Lebanon

Lebanon's health ministry said Wednesday that at least 20 people were killed and 450 others wounded by exploding electronic devices in multiple regions of the country. The explosions came a day after an apparent Israeli attack targeting pagers used by Hezbollah killed at least 12 and wounded nearly 3,000. Here are the latest updates.

What to know about the deadly electronic explosions targeting Hezbollah

Just one day after pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded, more electronic devices detonated in Lebanon Wednesday in what appeared to be a second wave of sophisticated, deadly attacks that targeted an extraordinary number of people. Here's what we know so far.

Second judge denies bail to Sean 'Diddy' Combs

Lawyers for Sean "Diddy Combs asked a judge Wednesday to let him await his sex trafficking trial at his luxury home on an island near Miami Beach, rather than a grim federal jail in Brooklyn.

Local Spotlight

An ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey named Goliath is missing from its longtime home at a veterinary hospital south of Calgary.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.

Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.

A daytrip to the backcountry turned into a frightening experience for a Vancouver couple this weekend.

If you take a look to the right of Hilda Duddridge’s 100th birthday cake, you’ll see a sculpture of a smiling girl extending her arms forward.

Two sisters have finally been reunited with a plane their father built 90 years ago, that is also considered an important part of Canadian aviation history.

Stay Connected