Air Canada Flight Attendants Remain Absent Despite Government Directive
Air Canada reported that striking flight attendants did not comply with a return-to-work order from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB). This directive required them to cease industrial action.
On August 17, 2025, the airline confirmed that flights would resume after the CIRB acted on a request from Patty Hajdu, the Federal Minister of Jobs and Families. This request referred Air Canada’s contract talks with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) to final binding interest arbitration.
According to Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, the CIRB deemed the Air Canada strike that halted over 700 flights effectively over. However, in a statement released on August 18, 2025, Air Canada indicated it had paused its plans to resume limited flights after CUPE allegedly directed its flight attendants to ignore the order to return to work.
This situation led to the cancellation of around 240 flights scheduled for the afternoon of August 17, 2025. Air Canada plans to restart operations in the evening of August 18, 2025.
CUPE National President Mark Hancock responded, stating, “This is not over. We will continue to fight on the picket lines, on the streets, at the bargaining table, in the courts, and in Parliament, until the injustice of unpaid work is done for good. Workers will win – despite the best effort of the Liberal government and their corporate friends.”
The strike by Air Canada flight attendants commenced on August 16, 2025, as the airline refused to raise wages in line with industry standards, inflation, or even the federal minimum wage, as asserted by CUPE. The union highlighted that flight attendants are compensated only while the plane is in motion, and can work up to 35 unpaid hours weekly performing essential tasks.
How do you think this situation will impact Air Canada’s operations in the long term?
