Air Canada strike 2024: What to know about the coming weeks

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The pilots say comparative airlines havae contracts with higher pay and better benefits.

Air Canada's pilots could go on strike this fall, potentially causing thousands of flight cancellations and delays.

The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) Canada, the union representing Air Canada's pilots, filed a notice of dispute and request for conciliation assistance with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service on June 17 regarding collective bargaining with Air Canada.

ALPA has been negotiating since June 2023 with the airline.

First Officer Charlene Hudy, chair of Air Canada’s ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC) told V.I.A. the union hopes to avoid a strike, but that it may still come to that.

"We want to reach an agreement with Air Canada to avert a strike and although we have made some progress in conciliation, management continues to force us closer to a strike position by not listening to our most pressing needs at the negotiating table regarding fair compensation, respectable retirement benefits, and quality-of-life improvements," she said.

The union claims management's proposals fall "substantially short" of recently ratified contracts at comparative airlines, such as United, Delta, and American.

It also says Air Canada failed to "correct the significant pay sacrifices" the pilots made after 9/11 to contribute to the survival of the airline, which is now one of North America's most profitable carriers.

Since landing on their last agreement in 2014, Air Canada pilots have received a two per cent pay hike each year.

Air Canada responds to possible pilot strike

An Air Canada spokesperson confirmed the airline is in negotiations with the union representing its pilots under the guidance of a federal conciliator.

"Already, we have reached agreement on several items," reads a statement to V.I.A. "We are working actively to reach [an] agreement on the remaining issues with an aim to finalize a deal over the next several weeks.

"Under federal labour law, there can be no action taken by either side until mid-September at the very earliest, and therefore it is business as usual, with Air Canada operating as normal."

WestJet's pilots recently ratified a deal with its employer for a 24 per cent wage increase over the next four years. Its pilots were also represented by ALPA and the move serves as a benchmark for other Canadian airlines.

With a file from the Canadian Press.

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