Historic Flight Attendant Strike Ends with Tentative Agreement at Air Canada

Air Canada's unionized flight attendants have achieved a tentative agreement with the airline, concluding the first cabin crew strike in 40 years. The strike disrupted travel plans for hundreds of thousands of passengers and highlighted ongoing labor tensions within the airline industry.

As part of the agreement, operations will gradually resume, but full services may take more than a week to restore. The Canadian Union of Public Employees announced the end of the strike on social media as mediation efforts concluded successfully. A proposed 38% increase in compensation over four years had initially been deemed inadequate by the union.

The strike was initiated over demands for compensation for tasks like passenger boarding, which currently remain unpaid, contrasting with practices at U.S. carriers. The union's defiance extended to continuing the strike even after a declaration of unlawfulness by Canada's labor board, creating a complex standoff involving government mediation efforts.