For right now, you are on strike, until your Union communicates otherwise.

The only exception to this is if you are operating back to Home Base. That is the only time you need to deal with the company.

Globe is not something to be checking at this time, you are not required to answer your phone, and again, you are on Legal Strike at this time. Do not worry if you are being assigned a flight from home base, there is no operation at this time. Do not answer your phone until the strike concludes and a contract is either extended or in place.

We remind you that there is no collective agreement in place and there is no obligation for you to report to work or communicate with Air Canada. 

In solidarity,

Your Bargaining Committee

🚨 WE ARE STILL ON STRIKE! 🚨

✊ See you loud and proud on the picket line!

Never forget – We are:

Flight Attendants
United
Across
Canada

In solidarity,

Your Bargaining Committee

Your Bargaining Committee believes it is important that you have the full picture. On August 15, 2025, Arielle Meloul-Wechsler shared a message on Aeronet addressed to employees. In response, the Bargaining Committee has prepared an open letter. For your review, you can find both Arielle’s original message HERE, and the Bargaining Committee’s response HERE.

In solidarity,

Your Bargaining Committee

🚨 STRIKE ALERT 🚨

We are now officially on strike! Picket lines will be active at all bases. Please report to your designated picket location and shift time. For updates and information, visit www.accstrikehq.ca.

At YUL/YMQ : the picket location is at YUL airport. Please meet at the patch of grass that leads up to departures road. Strike HQ is the Sheraton Airport Hotel (Flora Room), 55 Bd McMillan, Montréal, QC H9P 0A2. Picket shifts are 0500-0900, 0800-1200, 1100-1500, 1400-1800, and 1700-2100.

At YYZ/YTO : the picket location is Terminal 1 at multiple locations. Strike HQ is the Alt Airport Hotel, 6080 Viscount Rd, Mississauga, ON L4V 0A1. Meet your picket captain on the lawn outside the Alt Hotel (Viscount Station) at least 30 minutes before your scheduled shift. Picket shifts are 0330-0700, 0700-1030, 1030-1400, 1400-1730, and 1730-2100.

At YYC : the picket location is Calgary Airport. Strike HQ is the Delta Airport Hotel, 2001 Airport Rd NE, Calgary, AB T2E 6Z8. Picket shifts are 0800-1200, 1200-1600, and 1600-2000.

At YVR : the picket location is Chester Johnson Park. Strike HQ is the Sandman Signature Hotel, 10251 St Edwards Dr., Richmond, BC V6X 2M9. Meet your picket captain at Chester Johnson Park, located on the ground floor, 10 to 15 minutes prior to your scheduled shift. Picket shifts are 0600-1000, 1000-1400, 1400-1800, and 1800-2200 on Saturday only.

Ad hoc picket lines :

• Halifax : with picketing at Halifax Airport from 0600-1300 and 1100-1800.
• Winnipeg : with picketing at Winnipeg Airport from 1000-1400.
• Ottawa : with picketing at YOW Airport. Strike HQ is the EY Centre, 4899 Uplands Dr., Ottawa, ON K1V 2N6. Meet at the EY Centre. Picket shifts are 0800-1200 and 1500-1900.

📩 For questions, please contact your Local Strike Committees:

• YUL: greve.strike4091@gmail.com
• YYZ: strike@local4092.ca
• YYC: strike@local4095.ca
• YVR: strike@local4094.ca
• YTO/YMQ: strike@cupe4098.ca

In solidarity,

Your Bargaining Committee

Your Bargaining Committee is continuing to work through new developments and keep you advised. The latest development is the fact that Air Canada has filed two grievances against the Air Canada Component of CUPE.

Click here for the Mainline grievance

Click here for the Rouge grievance

They have also tried to intimidate and muzzle your Component President and Union by sending a cease-and-desist letter, which can be viewed HERE.

An emergency hearing was convened with Chief Arbitrator William Kaplan at Air Canada’s request.  It was seeking an order from the Chief Arbitrator on an expedited basis.

The Chief Arbitrator heard submissions from both parties. During these submissions Air Canada confirmed that members who were away from home base and working home once the strike commenced would NOT be paid for their inbound flight or duty periods after the strike commenced. Nor would they have any Collective Agreement protections.

The hearing was adjourned.  Air Canada did not receive the order sought.

Please remember to educate yourself about what your rights are and govern yourself accordingly.  You had the right to know this previously and reached out to your managers for reassurance and guidance. Their lack of replies left you in a difficult situation with not enough information.  The Company was not willing to provide clarity on all your rights and entitlements however we do believe that it was their intention all along not to pay you to bring their passengers home once the strike commenced.

Remember, your UNION is here for you. EAP is also available.

We continue to wait on word from the Minister of Jobs on the response to our submissions on Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code.  As soon as we have an update to share with you, we will.

In solidarity,

Your Bargaining Committee

We are proud to provide you with the press release regarding the submission to the Honorable Patty Hadju, Minister of Jobs under section 107 of the Canada Labour Code.

We promised to update you at each step in the process and will continue to do so.

Statement from CUPE on Air Canada’s request for binding arbitration

TORONTO – The Air Canada Component of CUPE has respectfully urged Employment Minister Patty Hajdu not to intervene pursuant to section 107 of the Canada Labour Code thereby permitting collective bargaining to continue and allowing the parties to negotiate a resolution.

The integrity of the collective bargaining process depends on allowing the parties to reach a resolution through free and fair negotiations, without undue interference.

Rather than continuing to negotiate in good faith, Air Canada appears to have anticipated government intervention and has opted to suspend meaningful discussions, contrary to its legal obligation to bargain in good faith.

On August 11, 2025, the Union submitted a revised wage proposal, which included the withdrawal of its long-standing position seeking the same wage adjustment previously provided by Air Canada to its pilots. Despite this significant concession, Air Canada declined to meaningfully engage with the proposal and did not present a counter-proposal.

On August 12, 2025, the Union made additional and substantial modifications to its wage position. The Union did not receive a response to its proposals, instead, it learned for the first time, when meeting with Minister Hajdu on August 12, 2025, that it had been rejected.

On August 12, 2025, Air Canada unilaterally declared an impasse and withdrew from the bargaining table. It has not returned. On August 12, 2025, unbeknownst to the Union, the Company made an extraordinary and premature request to the Minister seeking the application of section 107 to prevent a strike or lockout.

It is clear from Air Canada’s submissions to the Minister that it had planned to withdraw from bargaining and ask the Minister to interfere with the bargaining process.

Early on August 13, 2025, given Air Canada’s refusal to bargain, the Union issued notice of its intent to commence a legal strike beginning Saturday, August 16, 2025. Within minutes, Air Canada served a lockout notice.

The Union submits that the appropriate course of action is for Air Canada to return to the table and resume good faith bargaining. Accordingly, Air Canada’s request for ministerial intervention under section 107 should be firmly rejected.

The mere prospect of ministerial intervention has had a chilling effect on Air Canada’s obligation to bargain in good faith. Air Canada’s request for intervention should be denied. Such a decision would reaffirm the principles of free collective bargaining and compel Air Canada to return to the bargaining table – where it ought to be – and engage meaningfully in negotiations, where it is likely that the Parties may be able to reach an agreement.

In solidarity,

Your Bargaining Committee

Many of you are reaching out to the Union regarding what your rights are if you are away and a Strike or Lock out moves forward.  We are aware the Company has been reaching out by email and phone to advise you that your hotels and expenses will be paid while away. The Union was not advised of this, nor have we entered into an agreement with the Company in regard to your rights in the event of job action.

Your Union, as you have been advised, has gone to Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge to secure an orderly shut down, including requesting confirmation no one will be stranded. What we asked was clear, and to ensure there was no interruption to those that went to work to ensure our customers were able to complete the portion of their journeys.

This is what we sent to the employer and have requested discussion on since the beginning of bargaining, and specifically on December 11, 2024, and again during the early stages of conciliation on July 23, 2025:

Ramp Down:

• The safe return to home base of all CUPE members that find themselves away from home base because of their work for the employer. All terms of the CA would apply until all members have been returned. This would apply in both a strike and lockout scenario.
• If a member was not returned to their home base the employer will be responsible for this and make ever effort to return the member in 72hrs.
• If needed, members would operate these flights home and all provisions of the current CA would apply.
• The employer will provide the Union with a comprehensive list of all members operating away from home base at the time either parties provide 72 hr notice of a strike or lockout.

The employer commenced engaging with the Union August 13, 2025, with the below noted for the Ramp Down – to be clear – WE DID NOT AGREE:

4. All Crew who operate flight(s) prior to the Work Disruption, including flights that are in operation at the time a Work Disruption takes effect, may also be required to operate flight(s) to return them to Home Base, as they are not intended to be on strike/lockout until they return to Home Base.

5. The Company will make best efforts to deadhead Crew who have operated flight(s) away from their Home Base prior to the Work Disruption to their Home Base, subject to availability and operational need.

6. Crew deadheading to return to Home Base will not be paid or receive flight time credits, including any Duty Period Extension Premium, if applicable. Crew may be required to waive minimum crew rest in order to deadhead to their Home Base.

7. The 2022-2025 Collective Agreement draft provisions (Article B9 – Draft and L55.14.12) shall not apply to Crew deadheading after the start of the Work Disruption as it pertains to flight(s) that return the Crew to Home Base.

8. All Crew operating during the Work Disruption pursuant to this Memorandum of Agreement, will receive the applicable flight time credits or flight credits in accordance with the collective agreement and shall operate the flight, including performing the service, in accordance with all applicable practices, standards, procedures, rules and policies.

So, to be clear, VERY clear, the Collective Agreement has expired, and it will cease to apply when the strike commences on Saturday, August 16, 2025, at 12:58 am (When the strike or lockout ends, a new Collective Agreement will apply.)  

There are some Crew who may be away from home base when the strike commences. The Union proposed that the Collective Agreement continue to apply to Crew until they returned back to their home base.  The Company said no.

What this means for you: after 12:58 am on Saturday, August 16, 2025, there is no binding Collective Agreement.  All of the protections and standards of the Collective Agreement – rules and entitlements that were bargained over many rounds of bargaining for your protection and benefit – are no longer in force.

For example, if the Company refuses to pay you the rate of pay you would normally be paid under the Collective Agreement, the Union cannot grieve on your behalf. You will no longer have any Collective Agreement protections.  Govern yourself accordingly.

In solidarity,

Your Bargaining Committee

This is to advise you that your Board of Trustees have met, and have agreed to continue making premium contributions on behalf of the membership in the event of a strike or lockout for the August block month. What this means is that in the event of a work disruption, should you become disabled during this time and are unable to return to your work, at the end of the disruption; your benefits will remain in place. The customary policy provisions will apply. For example, once the  dispute has ended, and you return to work, your 7-day waiting period will commence from the first flight missed or reserve day in your schedule.

Status of WIP and Rehab during Strike:

1) Members who are currently on WIP will continue to be paid in accordance with policy provisions.

2) Members who are on the Air Canada return to work program will continue to be paid in accordance with policy provisions, however, Air Canada has informed the Union that there will be no rehab work provided. All members currently participating in a rehab RTW Program will return to full WIP status until further notice. For example, if a member has commenced a RTW Program on August 1, and his/her doctor has provided medical to indicate a RTW program was necessary for 3 months ending September 30, returning to full active duties of their own occupation, then the member is likely to be paid full WIP benefits until they can either resume the return-to-work program at the end of the disruption or in the absence of the RTW Program, until September 30. EACH case will be adjudicated independently, and as always in accordance with policy provisions.

3) If a work disruption commences on August 16, and the member books off August 14 but their first flight missed (FFM) is not until August 25, then their 7-day waiting period will commence on August 25 and WIP Insurance will commence 8 days later, and will be adjudicated in accordance with the policy provisions. If a member becomes disabled after a work disruption commences; they will not be entitled to benefits until there is a resolution and regular policy provisions prevail, such as the noted example above.

4) The Board of Trust has determined the Trust plan will cover all WIP contributions for members off the August earnings, this will be apparent on the September 17 pay summary for members.

On Behalf of The Board of Trust,

Patricia Eberley
Administrative Consultant

NOTE:  All Policy Booklet information can be accessed on the Air Canada Component of CUPE web site www.accomponent.ca.

Manion, Wilkins & Associates
Plan Administration
626-21 Four Seasons Place
Etobicoke, Ontario
M9B 0A6

Switchboard: 416-234-5044
Toll Free Line:  1-800-663-7849
Fax: 416-234-0127
Contact Centre: 1-866-532-8999

We recognize that these are uncertain times, and many of you may be experiencing a range of emotions. Feelings of stress, anxiety, or being overwhelmed are completely normal during such challenging moments. As your EAP and OH&S reps we want you to know that you are not alone.

When experiencing stress, feeling overwhelmed and trying to absorb any new developments we suggest that you take time to understand and acknowledge these feelings. This will help you seek help if needed and improve your emotional intelligence to connect better with colleagues during stressful times.

If you find yourself needing someone to talk to, help managing stress or anxiety, or guidance navigating personal challenges, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your union office, or strike captains. We are working to ensure that they have resources and supports available to share with you. Ongoing recovery meetings, 2SLGBTQIA+ support groups, and grief meetings continue to provide safe spaces for connection and healing. In addition, the company has committed to maintaining Telus Health services for members.

With care and solidarity,

Your EAP & Health & Safety Committees