CUPE Approves Strike for Air Transat Flight Attendants

DALLAS — The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has authorized a strike for its 2,100 flight attendant members at Air Transat (TS). The approval came from general meetings where the vote was nearly unanimous at 99.8%, which is the highest tally ever recorded in the Air Transat Component of CUPE.

The vote reflects the flight attendants' significant dissatisfaction with their working conditions, especially regarding wages and purchasing power. Despite a decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry's overall outlook is now highly positive.

Dominic Levasseur, President of the Air Transat Component of CUPE, explained, "Over the past 15 years, our members have made substantial sacrifices during challenging times for the industry. Now, with the soaring cost of living and the industry's promising future, they are prepared to take action. More than 50% of them have been forced to work second or even third jobs to make ends meet, and their starting salary is only $26,577 per year."

Levasseur added, "The upcoming weeks of negotiations will be crucial. Although it is still possible to reach a tentative agreement without resorting to a strike, that option cannot be ruled out. The ball is in the employer's court; they should be aware that our members have high expectations and are highly motivated."

January 3 Deadline

The collective agreement for these flight attendants based at airports in Montreal (YUL) and Toronto (YYZ) expired on October 31, 2022. Negotiations officially began on April 27, 2023, and there have been 33 negotiation sessions thus far.

According to the Canada Labour Code, a strike related to this matter would be legal starting January 3, 2024. In the event of a strike, it is expected that all flights will be canceled. Unpaid work is also a topic under negotiation.

The Air Transat Component is part of CUPE's Airline Division, which represents over 18,500 flight attendants employed at TS, Air Canada (AC), Sunwing (WG), WestJet (WS), Encore (WR), Calm Air (MO), Canadian North (5T), Pivot Airlines (ZX), Flair Airlines (F8), PAL Airlines (PB), and Pascan (P6).

CUPE is Canada's largest union, with 740,000 members nationwide. It represents workers in various sectors, including health care, emergency services, education, early learning and child care, municipalities, social services, libraries, utilities, transportation, airlines, and more.

Featured image: Air Transat C-GKTS Airbus A330-342