The union representing more than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants says its members have walked off the job after it was unable to reach an eleventh hour deal with the airline.
The strike officially began just before 1 a.m. ET on Saturday.
The airline said all Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights would be cancelled amid the work stoppage. Around 130,000 customers will be affected each day that the strike continues, the company said.
“Air Canada deeply regrets the effect the strike is having on customers,” it said in a brief statement early Saturday morning.
Flights by Air Canada Express, which are operated by third-party airlines Jazz and PAL, are not affected.
Air Canada and CUPE have blamed each other for their bargaining impasse, with the union rejecting a request for binding arbitration and the company imposing a lockout.
The Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees has said its main sticking points revolve around wages that have been outpaced by inflation during the course of its previous 10-year contract, along with unpaid labour when planes aren’t in the air.
Business groups have meanwhile warned of the damage a protracted dispute will do to the economy and have called on the government to consider all its options for ending the dispute — including imposing binding arbitration.
In the final hours leading up to the strike deadline, Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu urged both sides to get back to the negotiating table, suggesting she’s not ready to intervene in the dispute.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, Hajdu said it’s “critical” that the two parties “return to the table” to forge a deal on their own.
The minister said the union has indicated many of its demands have been met, suggesting there is a path forward to a deal.
“The union said themselves that many of their demands have been met. However, right now, they’re not at the table,” she said.
“It’s very important that both the union and the corporation return to the table, roll up their sleeves and finish this deal.”
Hajdu acknowledged the economy is “stressed” and said this is a time for “Canadians to pull together — and I expect corporations and unions to do that, too.”
She also said it’s not up to her to “resolve the issues in the collective agreement,” but the minister did not rule anything out, either.
“It’s very important that we stay focused on the two parties. They have the primary responsibility to solve this. This is a corporation and a union who have all the tools they need, as well as tools from the federal mediation service, to get this deal done,” Hajdu said.
“Canadians are watching with a high degree of empathy … and a high degree of anxiety, and I think the country is depending on these parties to do their work and to be diligent about turning over every stone.”
In a statement posted on social media, the minister said she met with both parties together on Friday evening and told them to work harder to reach a deal.
“It is unacceptable that such little progress has been made,” Hajdu said.
Air Canada said it will notify customers with imminent travel of additional cancelled flights and their options.
The airline has said passengers whose flights are cancelled will be offered a full refund or the opportunity to change their travel plans without a fee.
It added it strongly advises affected customers not to go to the airport unless they have a confirmed ticket on an airline other than Air Canada or Air Canada Rouge.
For customers due to travel soon whose flights are not yet cancelled, Air Canada said it will allow them to rebook their travel or obtain a credit for future travel.