Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) have reached a tentative four-year agreement that union leaders are calling "transformational," ending a strike that grounded hundreds of flights and affected roughly 500,000 passengers.
The deal, covering more than 10,000 flight attendants, includes a groundbreaking provision for "ground pay" — compensation for work performed while aircraft are on the ground, such as boarding, deplaning, and handling delays.
For the first time in the airline's history, flight attendants will receive 50% of their normal hourly rate for ground work in the first year, rising annually to 70% by the end of the contract. The union says this addresses a long-standing industry practice where attendants were only paid once aircraft doors closed and planes pushed back.
"This ends unpaid work and sets a precedent for the industry," CUPE said in a statement.
The agreement also includes immediate wage increases of 12% for attendants with five years of service or less, and 8% for those with more seniority. Additional annual increases of 3% in year two, 2.5% in year three, and 2.75% in year four are also part of the deal.
Flights began resuming, but full service restoration is expected to take seven to 10 days as crews and aircraft are repositioned. Some cancellations will continue during the ramp-up period.
The tentative agreement still requires ratification by CUPE members before becoming official. No further strikes or lockouts can occur during the ratification period.
The strike had disrupted Air Canada's operations significantly, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and stranding passengers across the country and internationally.
