Air Canada pilots voted overwhelmingly for a strike mandate, putting them in a position to initiate a work stoppage as early as September 17.
The International Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents more than 5,400 aviators at the country’s largest carrier, said the strike authorization passed 98 percent on Thursday.
Employees have been negotiating with Air Canada since June 2023, and talks are ongoing under the supervision of a federal conciliator.
This process is expected to end on Monday, followed by a 21-day reflection period.
Charlene Hudy, head of the union’s Air Canada contingent, said the vote sends “a clear message to management” that pilots are prepared to take action to get a better deal.
This is an outdated contract. Some elements of our current collective agreement date back to the post-bankruptcy period.
Charlene Hudy, head of the union’s Air Canada contingent
The airline filed for bankruptcy protection in 2003.
Mme Hudy said the two sides had found consensus in some areas, but wages and some aspects of work scheduling remained sticking points.
After the four largest U.S. airlines signed new contracts with their pilots over the past 18 months, some crew members are earning about double what their Air Canada counterparts earn, she said, citing United Airlines in particular.
“We all carry passengers under the Star Alliance umbrella. So we carry the same passengers in the same airspace on some of the same routes, and those pilots are paid a lot more than we are,” Mr.me Hudy.
“Pent-up demand”
Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, Air Canada’s chief human resources officer, said the parties had reached agreement on “many, many articles” of the collective agreement.
She highlighted the stability of the workforce that marked the decade covered by the now-expired contract.
“But of course, with a 10-year contract, it creates some pent-up demand. So it’s time to refresh that deal,” she said in a video posted on Air Canada’s website Thursday.
Air Canada President and CEO Michael Rousseau told analysts earlier this month that the two sides were in agreement on several points and that he hoped to reach an agreement in the coming weeks.