“With each events declaring an deadlock in negotiations, with helpful cargo grounded and passengers stranded, the federal government made the fitting determination to refer the 2 sides to binding arbitration,” Matthew Holmes, chief of public coverage for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, mentioned in an announcement.
WAGE DISPUTE
Whereas essentially the most contentious subject was compensation for time spent on the bottom, there was additionally disagreement over broader wage points. The service had supplied a 38 p.c improve in whole compensation for flight attendants over 4 years, with a 25 p.c elevate within the first yr, which CUPE mentioned was inadequate.
The union has mentioned Air Canada supplied to compensate flight attendants for some work that’s now unpaid at 50 p.c of their hourly charge.
A supply near the negotiations advised Reuters the union was in search of parity on wages with Canadian leisure service Air Transat. Its flight attendants authorized a contract final yr that offered for whole compounded will increase of 30 p.c over 5 years, making them the best paid within the business in Canada.
Air Canada didn’t verify if such a proposal had been put forth by the union.
Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada part of CUPE, mentioned in a press convention in Toronto earlier on Saturday that there have been no bargaining classes scheduled between the 2 sides, which have held on-and-off negotiations for months.
Earlier within the day outdoors Toronto Pearson Worldwide Airport, the nation’s busiest, lots of of cabin crew waved flags, banners and picket indicators. Union officers known as on members to assemble outdoors all the nation’s main airports, together with in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver.
