Air Canada and pilots avoid strike with midnight deal
Air Canada and its pilots union reached an eleventh-hour deal on Saturday night that averted a strike at Canada’s largest airline.
Pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), were expected to issue a 72-hour strike notice on Sunday that could have grounded the airline as soon as Sept. 18. Air Canada was prepared to begin canceling flights on Sunday as it wound down its mainline and Air Canada Rouge operation.
The four-year tentative agreement between Air Canada and ALPA includes roughly C$1.9 billion ($1.4 billion) in wage increases, work rule improvements, and retirement benefits for pilots over its term, the union said.
“After several consecutive weeks of intense round-the-clock negotiations, progress was made on several key issues including compensation, retirement, and work rules,” said Charlene Hudy, chair of the master executive council at the Air Canada chapter of ALPA, in a statement. If ratified, this agreement would end the ten-year-old framework that has been in place for a decade. The TPG Daily newsletter will reward your inbox with breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts. “
The deal is subject to a ratification vote by Air Canada’s more than 5,400 pilots, and the airline’s board of directors.
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On Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he would not block a strike by pilots at Air Canada.
“Every time there’s a strike, people say ‘Oh, you’ll get the government to come in and fix it’ — we’re not going to do that,” Reuters reported he said. We believe in collective bargaining and will continue to push people to engage in it. A strike by Air Canada would have had a far-reaching impact on travelers beyond Canada’s borders. Cirium Diio shows that Air Canada and United Airlines will fly 57% of seats between the U.S.A. and Canada this September. Many American travelers use Air Canada’s hubs in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver to connect to longer trips to Asia and Europe.
