Air Canada pilots represented by ALPA union vote to authorize strike

Air Canada pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association voted overwhelmingly in favour to authorize union leaders to call a strike. With 98% of members participating, 98% of Air Canada pilots voted in favour of job action, if necessary, to achieve a new contractual agreement with Air Canada. Air Canada pilots are working under pay rates and quality-of-life provisions negotiated in 2014. Negotiations for a new agreement began in June 2023. Talks entered private mediation in January 2024 and lasted until June 2024, at which point the union decided to file a notice of dispute and enter conciliation because the two sides were unable to reach a new collective agreement. “Today, more than 5,400 Air Canada pilots sent a clear message to management that we are willing to go the distance to secure a contract that reflects the value we bring to Air Canada,” said First Officer Charlene Hudy, chair of the Air Canada ALPA Master Executive Council. “Our goal is to avoid a strike, and our focus remains on modernizing our contract for Air Canada pilots. However, management continues to force us closer to a strike position by not listening to our needs at the negotiating table regarding fair compensation, respectable retirement benefits, and quality-of-life improvements. After more than a year of negotiations, management must now to come to the realization that if they fail to reach an agreement, they will be responsible for us withdrawing our services.”