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Air Canada’s potential work stoppage could ground flights, halt cargo and leave travellers scrambling to reschedule next week.
The airline and its pilots are at a negotiating impasse over wages. The union, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), seeks to narrow the gap between Canadian and American salaries.
In late August, its members voted 98 per cent in favour of a strike.
“We continue to negotiate in good faith,” said union leader Charlene Hudy at the time of the vote. With a US$5 million fund available to sustain a potential work stoppage, the union says it’s “prepared for any outcome.”
Meanwhile, Air Canada has asked the federal government to step in and force arbitration. It would be the second time Ottawa decided to to take the reigns of labour negotiations in as many months after trains on Canada’s two largest railways halted in August.
Arbitration is a powerful tool for the government to force a resolution during an impasse, but it’s also controversial – some see it as a necessary step to maintain operations vital to trade and tourism, others call it over-reach.
Outside the boardroom, travellers are anxiously checking the status of their scheduled flights. Air Canada said earlier this week that a 72-hour strike or lockout notice could be issued as early as Sunday, Sept. 15.
Here’s the latest information we have on the potential aircraft halt:
10:20 a.m. EDT: Air Canada has already stopped accepting certain cargo, such as perishables and live animals, in case the airline grounds its fleet. Certain aircraft have been rerouted, should a disruption happen and they require maintenance.
Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick told CP24 the airline has not cancelled any flights in anticipation of the stoppage, but preparations are underway.
“Customers will be notified if there are any changes to their travel,” he wrote in a statement.
This article will be updated through the day. Check back for updates.
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