Air Canada CEO says ‘amazed’ striking workers are disregarding work order

The union representing thousands of striking Air Canada flight attendants says it will risk jail time and fines but will not order its members back to work, despite the federal labour relations board calling the strike illegal.

“We will not be returning to the skies this afternoon,” Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) national president Mark Hancock said at a news conference on Monday.

“If it means folks like me going to jail, then so be it. If it means our union being fined, then so be it.”

In a decision released earlier that morning, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) said the union’s defiance of a back-to-work order over the weekend is “unlawful.”The cabin crew for the Montreal-based carrier had pushed for a negotiated solution, saying binding arbitration would take pressure off the airline. Workers have said that the proposed wage hikes are insufficient to keep up with inflation and match the federal minimum wage.

The attendants are also calling to be paid for work performed on the ground, such as helping passengers to board. They are now only paid when planes are moving, sparking some vocal support from Canadians on social media.

A leader of the union on strike against Air Canada said on Monday that he would risk jail time rather than allow cabin crews to be forced back to work.

“If it means folks like me going to jail, then so be it. If it means our union being fined, then so be it. We’re looking for a solution here,” said Mark Hancock, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) national president, at a press conference after a deadline by the board to return to work expired with no union action to end the strike.

Air Canada’s CEO Michael Rousseau told the news agency Reuters that he was “amazed” that the union was not following the law, adding, “At this point in time, the union’s proposals are much higher than the 40 percent [hike we have offered]. And so we need to find a path to bridge that gap,” he said, without suggesting what that process would be. “We’re always open to listen, and have a conversation,” he said.

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney voiced his support for the cabin crews, saying that they should be “compensated equitably at all times”.

Pushing for a resolution, Carney said, “We are in a situation where literally hundreds of thousands of Canadians and visitors to our countries are being disrupted by this action.”

The airline normally carries 130,000 people daily during the ongoing peak summer travel season and is part of the global Star Alliance of airlines.

Failure to comply with the board’s orders can result in significant fines and penalties.

Despite that, Hancock made it clear that flight attendants will remain on strike as they seek better pay and changes to how they are paid before a plane takes off. 

“None of us want to be in defiance of the law,” he told reporters. “Our members want a solution here. But that solution has to be found at a bargaining table.”

Air Canada hoping to resume flights Tuesday

Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau called the union’s stance “disappointing” on BNN Bloomberg and said the airline hopes to resume service Tuesday.

Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu called on both sides to put “water in their wine” and get back to the table. 

“That’s what bargaining is about.” she told CBC’s Power & Politics. “Getting the best deal you can, knowing you’re not going to have all of your needs satisfied either on the employer side or the union side.”

WATCH | Jobs minister on the Air Canada strike: 

‘It was clear’ Air Canada, union needed Ottawa to step in on dispute: Jobs minister

1 hour agoJobs Minister Patty Hajdu joins Power & Politics, defending her decision to invoke Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to order Air Canada flight attendants back to work. She says ‘it was clear’ the airline and the union ‘needed another tool’ to continue negotiations after the union went on strike.

The Montreal-based company estimates 500,000 customers’ flights have been cancelled.

CUPE’s national secretary-treasurer Candace Rennick said striking workers feel for those passengers dealing with chaotic travel. 

“We deeply deeply regret the impact this is having on your families and on your lives,” she said Monday. “Our fight is not with you. We do not want to be here.”

The CIRB ruling comes after a hearing on Sunday and a frazzled weekend for travellers.

Flight attendants walked off the job early Saturday morning, leading to hundreds of flights being grounded. Less than 12 hours after the strike and lockout took effect, Ottawa intervened.

WATCH | CLC president calls use of Section 107 an attack right to strike: 

CLC president calls use of Section 107 a direct attack on flight attendants’ right to strike

2 hours agoCanadian Labour Congress president Bea Bruske says the government’s overuse of Section 107 of the Labour Code is an attack on the right to strike. She says the CLC stands with CUPE, and demands use of the section be ceased.

Hajdu invoked the contentious Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, asking the CIRB to send the two sides to binding arbitration and to order the airline and its flight attendants back to work in the meantime to “maintain or secure industrial peace.”

The union said in a statement Sunday that its members would remain on strike, defying the back-to-work order.

CUPE has accused the Liberal government of “rewarding Air Canada’s refusal to negotiate fairly by giving them exactly what they wanted.” It also pointed to what it called “a staggering conflict of interest” involving the chair of the CIRB, Maryse Tremblay, who according to her LinkedIn profile served as legal counsel for Air Canada from 1998 to 2004.