Air Canada, union head to key talks as strike looms: ‘Completely stalled’ – National

Air Canada and the union representing its pilots, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), are meeting this week in efforts to avoid a strike after the union said talks had “completely stalled” last week.

The stakes are high after the NDP pulled their support for the Liberals, raising questions about what will happen if there is a strike that results in calls for back-to-work legislation and whether any potential attempts to force workers back could result in opposition parties attempting non-confidence motions.

As the outcome of talks happening this week remains uncertain, the pilots’ union says negotiations had stalled as of last week.

“Due to the confidential nature of negotiations, we cannot comment [on] specific proposals that are being passed between the parties at the negotiating table,” First Officer Charlene Hudy, chair of the Air Canada ALPA master executive council, told Global News in a statement Thursday when asked if the airline had many any offers to the union.

Hudy added, “What we can say is that as of last week, talks had completely stalled. We are meeting with the company this week and hope to see more movement on the items that remain.”

Hudy did not share any further details of offers from Air Canada but said percentage increases in wages would depend on the seniority of the pilot. She said this would mean that junior pilots would likely see the highest increase in the event of a deal being reached.

“They live in the biggest cities across Canada and currently make a salary that makes it very hard to sustain a family,” Hudy said.

“One quarter of our pilots have a second job, with almost 80 per cent of those needing the job out of necessity. We are trying to change that. Additionally, due to our latest 10-year contract, our compensation has not kept up with inflation, nor the levels of our peer carriers.”

Air Canada did not respond to a request for comment from Global News.

However, the airline had a statement on its website that read, “Air Canada is in negotiations with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). Currently, our operations are not affected, and our flights are operating as scheduled.”

The airline noted some passengers can change their tickets and make “alternate travel arrangements for your peace of mind” if they purchased tickets “no later than August 27, 2024, for travel between September 15 and September 23, 2024.”

Last week, Air Canada said in a statement that it was their intention to reach a negotiated settlement with the union.

The airline said progress has been made in its negotiations and it hopes to reach a deal, but it still faces the possibility of a strike by its 5,400 pilots as early as Sept. 17 when the union will be in a strike position.

The Air Line Pilots Association has not set a strike date, but the pilots have voted overwhelmingly to approve a strike mandate if an agreement on a new contract cannot be reached.

Under the airline’s policy, customers with tickets for travel between Sept. 15 and 23 can rebook on any other Air Canada flight with the same origin and destination up to Nov. 30 at no additional cost. Customers who want to cancel and rebook their travel for after that date will have their change fees waived but will have to pay any fare difference.

Travellers with bookings during the affected period may also cancel their flight and receive a credit for future travel.

Refunds will be available for customers with refundable tickets, but Air Canada says refunds will not be available for those with non-refundable tickets as the flights are scheduled to operate as normal.

The policy applies to all Air Canada-operated flights, including Air Canada mainline, Air Canada Rouge, Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz or PAL Airlines, and Air Canada Vacations.

— with files from Canadian Press

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