Proposal Would Keep Flight Attendants Under the Federal Minimum Wage

99.4 percent of Air Canada flight attendants turned out to vote on the airline’s wage offer, and the opinion was overwhelmingly clear: a 12 percent year-one increase just doesn’t cut it. The union points out that this pay bump is still below the federal minimum wage, accusing the government of quashing its ability to bargain.

The deal would have delivered a 12 percent raise in year one for Rouge crews and newer mainline attendants, while more senior mainline workers would get just 8 percent. After that, annual increases would taper down to 3 percent, 2.5 percent, and 2.75 percent.

On paper, that may sound like progress. In reality, it keeps flight attendants below Canada’s federal minimum wage of $17.75 an hour. A Rouge attendant under the offer would earn about $2,219 a month, while a mainline attendant would pull in $2,522—both short of the $2,840 monthly figure earned by a 40-hour minimum-wage worker. That means employees at the country’s flagship airline would still qualify for income supports.

The union representing flight attendants, the Air Canada Component of CUPE, is not just disappointed in the offer. President Wesley Lesosky said that “Air Canada never bargained in good faith on wages… By CEO Michael Rousseau's own admission, the company expected the federal government to intervene and take away the only leverage we had - our right to go on strike. Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu only waited 11 hours to prove the company right.”

Union leaders argue that this interference twisted the process from the start. Instead of neutrality, they claim, Air Canada was handed the ability to stall and suppress wages while workers were left with little help. This is reportedly a recurring theme in Canadian aviation labor disputes, where the “essential service” argument often leaves employees at a disadvantage before any real fight can begin.

The rejected deal will now head into mediation, and potentially arbitration if no agreement is reached. While wage levels are the center of the debate, attendants are also battling for recognition of the many unpaid duties they perform on the ground. This round did secure partial compensation for those tasks, but much more remains unresolved.

FMI: www.aircanada.com