Air Canada flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) could serve a 72-hour strike notice as early as August 16. On Tuesday, August 5, flight attendants voted 99.7 per cent in favour of taking strike action if a collective agreement cannot be reached.
“We’ve been at the table since December but Air Canada still won’t offer our lowest paid members a raise that lifts them out of poverty,” said Wesley Lesosky, president of CUPE’s Air Canada component.
A release by Air Canada said compensation is currently $41.39 per hour for a Rouge flight attendant with 5 years of service, $63.07 for a mainline flight attendant with 10 years of service, and up to $87.01 for a service director.
Air Canada service directors earned an average of $80,000 in 2024 and the median yearly wage for mainline flight attendants was $54,000 in 2024. The company said the median annual wage was influenced by the fact that about one third of flight attendants have been hired in the past five years.
Living Wage Canada’s reports from 2024 show the average living wage needed across the country is $23 per hour. This would amount to just under $48,000 per year. In more expensive regions, such as the GTA or Halifax, annual living wage requirements range from $50,700 to $54,600.
Union wants end to unpaid labour
Beyond wage increase, CUPE is also demanding an end to mandatory unpaid labour. When flights are on the ground, flight attendants are not being paid. Lesosky said during these times, however, flight attendants are boarding, deplaning, assisting passengers with special needs and performing mandatory safety checks.
“Air Canada has raked in billions in profits under the 10-year collective agreement,” Lesosky said in a video posted to the CUPE youtube channel. “They can afford to pay us fairly and without raising prices for the public.”
The hours of unpaid labour are caused by compensation models using “block time” which counts takeoff to landing, not when an employee begins work.
Air Canada wrote on their website that the current compensation model has been used in many contracts for years. They highlighted that the previous contract included this compensation model and was unanimously endorsed by the bargaining unit and was then ratified by the union members.
“Air Canada’s approach to flight attendant compensation, including for ground time, is consistent with that at most global carriers,” Air Canada’s backgrounder reads. “In fact, CUPE reached a new contract with a large Canadian carrier in 2024 that uses this same approach.”
CUPE said in a bargaining backgrounder that forcing unpaid hours of labour leads to high turnover, fatigue, and declining morale in a safety-critical role. High turnover can also contribute to the lowering median wage for Air Canada Flight attendants given hourly rates of pay are affected by years of experience.
The hours of unpaid labour required from flight attendants has also been increasing amidst the worsening climate crisis. A 2023 article by rabble.ca showed that as extreme weather events increase, planes spend more time on the ground before takeoff. While passengers wait, flight attendants are working.
READ MORE: Climate change could mean longer hours, stagnating wages
“In 2025 in Canada, no one should be forced to work for free,” Lesosky said. “That’s not just unfair, it’s unCanadian.”
Since both parties were recently in conciliation, no job action can occur until August 16. Until then, both CUPE and Air Canada have an opportunity to continue negotiations.
“A fair deal is within reach,” Lesosky said,” but only if Air Canada is willing to acknowledge that no one working full-time should live in poverty and no one should be forced to work for free.”
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