Air Canada flight attendants said on Sunday they will remain on strike and challenge a return-to-work order they called unconstitutional, defying a government decision to force them back to their duties by 2 p.m. ET (1800 GMT).
Air Canada had said it planned to resume flights on Sunday evening, a day after the Canadian government issued a directive to end a cabin crew strike that caused the suspension of around 700 daily flights, stranding more than 100,000 passengers.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees said in a statement that members would remain on strike and invited Air Canada back to the table to “negotiate a fair deal.”
“To legislate us back to work 12 hours after we started? I’m sorry, snowstorms have shut down Air Canada for longer than we were allowed to strike.” 😂😂😂
The most contentious issue has been the union’s demand for compensation for time spent on the ground between flights and when helping passengers board. Attendants are largely paid only when their plane is moving.
Damn right. Work on the clock, or pay them a decent salary that covers all bases. The company using a non-moving plane as some excuse is ludicrous. If you’re losing money for that regularly, then raise the ticket prices to cover costs incurred. They always go after the labor first to save money, which is asinine because it’s the labor that keeps things going.
If an employee is important enough to have to be legislated back to work then they are important enough to be guaranteed a living wage.
This is apparently the case in the whole industry and its ridiculous.
the whole industry
It’s not a criminal conspiracy, it’s a longstanding commonly accepted industry practice, completely different things! /s
I said this in another thread but could you imagine if call center workers were only paid when they’re actually on the phone? That would be ludicrous.
If my employer tried to tell me I’m only getting paid when I’m actively using the equipment instead of the whole time I setting up and transferring materials, I’d have to get in line to set the place on fire
Be sure to save the red stapler.
solidarity to all
If the government declares a strike illegal, or tries to in any way compel the employees to return to work, they are explicitly telling the workers that they are nothing more than indentured servants, barely more than slaves. You exist to make these people money, now sit down and shut up before we throw you in prison for upsetting your betters.
I don’t understand how a government can tell workers to go back to work. Like, if Air Canada is unhappy with their employees, they should fire them and rehire. And spend all the time and money it requires to retrain them. Oh wait, that’s not feasible across the whole industry? Guess you better pay these talented professionals what they are worth, then.
Like, how can workers refusing to work possibly be illegal? It’s insane. Even if the argument is that not working went against some kind of work contract they have, that should be a civil issue not a legal one.
Look at what Reagan did to the Air Traffic Controllers union to see what an unscrupulous conservative could do to striking workers if they wanted to. Though I’m sure Canada is different so hopefully it’s not possible there.
The US is still feeling the consequences of that.
Reagan at least realized he fucked up and was forced to rehire a bunch of the controllers. It’s also different since controllers are federal government employees who were not legally allowed to strike in the first place.
Back to work legislation ostensibly exists for situations where a strike compromises public safety or well-being. Healthcare workers or power plant operators or what have you.
You could argue that even this is too far and the employers involved should be the ones on the hook to do whatever is necessary to get things running, but the ad absurdum argument there is that it would effectively mean those employees have infinite bargaining power.
It definitely gets misapplied though, and this is certainly one such case.
Stay strong. If you don’t, you will end up like us southern neighbors.
Yeah, fight harder than we did, and don’t bitch about a flawed candidate because they’re imperfect like we did.
Get fucked Canadian government. This doesn’t involve you…I cant fucking stand when governments think they can legislate a strike and tell people they have to go back to work or else.
If a company wants to end a strike, they can pay their workers a livable wage, with proper vacation and sick pay. Its not that hard.
Nationalize it.
Nationalize it.
Moving it back to a gov job would benefit the safety officers (‘cabin crew’, if you want to minimize their importance) greatly: there’s no WAY they would be required to work without pay, in modern times, like they are now.
It used be owned by the government. They sold it in 1988.
Which Government? Safe to assume Mulroney?
Mulroney and the Progressive Conservatives lead the government from 1984 to 1993. So, yup! Fun fact, Mulroney was also accused of accepting $300,000 from the chairman of Airbus in exchange for awarding Airbus an Air Canada contract for 34 planes before it was privatized.
This move makes me happy. I was hoping they wouldn’t just suck it up and cave.
CUPE had pushed for a negotiated solution, saying binding arbitration would take pressure off the airline.
Yeah uuuuhhh thats the problem you see, the whole point of a strike is create pressure…
@HellsBelle
This is the right move. Imagine if politicians were paid only for the time they were at their seat.Railroad unions have followed the process by the book, and there’s still no resolution after being in court for a year now:
https://tcrcplbo.ca/section-107-challenges/
Being forced to go back to a job under-compensated is an untenable situation here. Something needed to be done lest we lose our right to collective labour action.
Stuck in Halifax. Fuck Air Canada. But also aaaaaagh frustrating. Pay your goddamn employees.
Friend of mine had his flight from Toronto to Regina cancelled while they were boarding their first flight to Toronto. Exhausted all options and opted to rent a car a drive from Pearson to Regina, with 2 young kids and a dog. They’ve been driving since Friday
He should play “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” for the kids on a tablet while they drive!
Feel for you. My sister is visiting me soon and her return is AC right before school starts. I want to have empathy for her, but pay your employees.
