Defiant CUPE Flight Attendants Uphold Right to Strike

by Elizabeth Byce

10,517 Canadian Union of Public Employees flight attendants working for Air Canada won a pitched battle in their struggle for a collective agreement. A tentative agreement was reached after an historic and courageous fight that inspired labour unionists and their allies across the country. CUPE urged their members, early on August 19, to return to work, pending a ratification vote on the tentative deal.

On August 5, over 97 per cent turned out to vote, with a resounding 99.7 per cent supporting a strike mandate. They suffered years of falling real wages as a result of their expired 10-year-old contract and prolonged negotiations. There had not been a strike of “cabin crew” in 40 years. Air Canada failed to negotiate fairly on issues like unpaid work and poverty wages. The entry level flight attendants’ pay has risen only $3.00/hour in over 25 years. Seventy per cent of the workforce is female.

Hours of unpaid work are performed by flight attendants before and after each flight. That includes: (a) boarding and deplaning, [b] critical safety checks, as mandated by Transport Canada,[c] assisting passengers with special needs, and [d] preparing the cabin. Wages are paid on "block time” [i.e. take-off, to landing], not when staff report to work. This amounts to some 35 hours of unpaid labour per workers, per month. A CUPE TV ad asks: Where is all the money going from this unpaid labour?

The CUPE Flight Attendants’ website states: "We are proud to put on the uniform and help keep the public safe on their journey, but the days of doing it for free or for poverty wages must end….. We are standing together for respect and a fair contract that matches the professionalism and dedication we bring to work every day".

The strike began on August 16. Aware of the federal government’s long record of strike-breaking in federally regulated industries, Air Canada asked the government to crush the Charter rights of underpaid flight attendants.

Just 12 hours into their strike, federal Liberal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to impose binding arbitration, compelling the Canada Industrial Relations Board to issue a return-to-work order. CUPE defied the order and continued the strike, inspiring trade unionists across the country. Flight attendants and their leadership stated they had no intention of backing down.

On August 19 after four days on strike, both parties announced that they had arrived at a tentative agreement. Air Canada unrealistically indicated it would start resuming flights within a day.

While unpaid labour is ended, the magnitude of the union win is unclear. CBC reported that pay for pre-boarding and post-landing work will be 50 per cent of the regular wage, to increase 5 per cent each year of the agreement. The union justly demanded 100 per cent of the normal hourly wage.

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) stated in a news release: “Flight attendants showed extraordinary determination in the face of immense pressure. They stood together, reclaimed their voice, and won recognition for the value of their work. This moment affirms that when workers are united, they have the power to achieve real change. …..“By standing strong and reclaiming their voice, they’ve achieved a breakthrough that ends unpaid work and raises standards for all workers.”

While we await full details and the ratification process, the guarantee of “ground pay” represents a powerful step forward in ensuring dignity, fairness, and respect for flight attendants and for workers across Canada. The tentative agreement may signal a transformational change for workers in the industry. Naturally, the union will have minimal leverage now that workers are back on the job.

Clearly, CUPE is not the only union under attack. Remember the dock workers and railway employees who were subjected to government interference in August and November 2024 respectively? In fact, the Liberal government has invoked Section 107 of the federal Labour Code eight times since 2024! What about the anti-scab law that the NDP secured while propping up the Liberal minority government of Justin Trudeau? Well, thanks a lot Liberals, but there are no scabs to stop when a strike is ended by order of the Canada Industrial Relations Board.

On August 1, 2025, after 18 months of on and off again negotiations with Canada Post, postal workers voted NO to the so-called "best and final offer" in the government-forced vote. With over 80 per cent of 55,000 Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) voting, nearly 70 per cent said "No, these offers won't work", according to the union’s National website. The employees have spoken. Despite a steady barrage of attacks by management, postal workers stood together in a strong act of solidarity. They told Canada Post they will not back down and want to negotiate a just settlement. The parties returned to the table on August 20.

Postal workers were on strike for five weeks last fall, until hit by Section 107. They remain ready to fight again for better working conditions and real improvements in service for all Canadians. One key issue is who will deliver packages in an expanded weekend service – part timers with low pay, few benefits and no job security, or regular full-time CUPW members?

It used to be common for agreements to be reached via collective bargaining. A prime example is the victory for all workers in 1981 when postal workers won maternity/paternity leave. The problem increasingly is government interference that takes the pressure off management to negotiate.

As National President of CUPW, Jan Simpson, wrote: "The moment is bigger than a vote. It is about protecting the principle of free and fair collective bargaining. It's about ensuring workers, not the government or employers decide what's acceptable. It is about telling those in power that workers cannot be bought, intimidated or sidelined."

Despite all the talk in the mass media about how an interruption of postal service is terrible for business, and how Canadians deserve better, management’s response to the union's invitation to return to the bargaining table was prolonged silence. Lurking behind that wall is the prospect of major cuts to service, layoffs and the privatization of large segments of Canada Post.

Prime Minister and Liberal leader Mark Carney is showing the true nature of capitalist rule in economic hard times. The rights to bargain and strike exist -- until workers actually use them. The corporate elite, and their former top banker Carney, are elbows-up against labour while making concessions to Donald Trump and the ruling rich. They plan more spending on the military, on NATO and on pipelines that doom the world to environmental catastrophe.

The need now is for concerted solidarity with CUPE and CUPW – Demand the abolition of Section 107 of the federal labour code. Uphold the right to strike and free collective bargaining, and be prepared to engage in mass job actions to that end. An injury to one is an injury to all.