Turbulence ahead for Air Canada. The company is facing a threat of strike. The 10,000 or so members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees voted unanimously in favour of a strike mandate (99.7%), as CUPE made official on Tuesday. As a result of this vote, the union is now entitled to give notice of strike action from 00:01 on 16 August.
Air Canada employees are demanding higher wages and unpaid work at the company. For Wesley Lesosky, President of CUPE's Air Canada component, "Not only is the carrier constantly inventing new ancillary charges and abusing its customers, it is also exploiting its own employees by seriously underpaying flight attendants when it does not outright refuse to pay them for essential safety tasks. ".
Despite the overwhelming support for possible strike action, the union is keeping the door open for negotiations. "The vote was an opportunity for our members to express their views, and the message is clear: it's time for the employer to really get involved in negotiations."says Wesley Lesosky. The union also points out: " A strike vote is a necessary prerequisite for any legal union action, but it is not enough. this does not necessarily mean that Air Canada flight attendants will go on strike ".
