Air Canada flight attendants vote in favour of strike mandate

By: The Canadian Press Posted: 3:00 AM CDT Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025 Last Modified: 7:24 AM CDT Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025

MONTREAL - Air Canada flight attendants have voted to give their union a strike mandate.

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MONTREAL - Air Canada flight attendants have voted to give their union a strike mandate.

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MONTREAL – Air Canada flight attendants have voted to give their union a strike mandate.

The Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees says members voted 99.7 per cent in favour.

The mandate does not mean that a strike is guaranteed, only that union members support the measure if the bargaining team decides to call for a work stoppage.

An Air Canada plane takes off from Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. Air Canada flight attendants are entering the final day of voting on whether to give a strike mandate to their union. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

The vote kicked off July 28 and finished earlier Tuesday, after the airline and union concluded the conciliation process without reaching a deal.

The two sides have been in contract talks since the start of the year.

The union, which represents around 10,000 flight attendants, has pointed to key outstanding issues including pay, pensions and unpaid work such as pre-flight safety checks.

“The company would rather drag their feet than negotiate on the things that matter to our members,” said Wesley Lesosky, president of the union’s Air Canada component, in a statement.

“Now, flight attendants have had a chance to weigh in and tell the company it’s time to get serious about negotiating.”

The airline said it remains committed to the bargaining process and is “eager” to resume discussions.

“Air Canada is determined to reach a fair and equitable collective agreement that recognizes the contributions of its Flight Attendants and supports the competitiveness and long-term growth of the company,” it said in a statement on its website.

The airline has cautioned that the vote does not mean a disruption will happen, and noted a potential strike can’t take place until after a 21-day cooling-off period that followed the 60-day conciliation period.

A potential strike looms as contract talks carry on between Air Canada and the union representing 10,000 of its flight attendants. A person watches as an Air Canada plane lands at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

It said Tuesday that it believes there is “more than enough time” to reach an agreement.

The cooling-off period would end Aug. 16 at 12:01 a.m. ET, which is the earliest the union can go on strike.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2025.

Companies in this story: (TSX:AC)

Note to readers:This is a corrected story. A previous version said the union can provide a 72-hour strike notice after 12:01 a.m. ET on Aug. 16. In fact, that’s the earliest the union can be in a legal strike.