Air Canada’s potential work stoppage could ground flights, halt cargo and leave travellers scrambling to reschedule next week<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The airline and its pilots are at a negotiating impasse over wages. The union, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), seeks to narrow the gap between Canadian and American salaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In late August, its members voted 98 per cent in favour of a strike<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We continue to negotiate in good faith,\u201d said union leader Charlene Hudy at the time of the vote. With a US$5 million fund available to sustain a potential work stoppage, the union says it\u2019s \u201cprepared for any outcome.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Air Canada has asked the federal government to step in and force arbitration. It would be the second time Ottawa decided to to take the reins of labour negotiations in as many months after trains on Canada\u2019s two largest railways halted in August<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arbitration is a powerful tool for the government to force a resolution during an impasse, but it\u2019s also controversial \u2013 some see it as a necessary step to maintain operations vital to trade and tourism, others call it over-reach<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Outside the boardroom, travellers are anxiously checking the status of their scheduled flights. Air Canada said earlier this week that a 72-hour strike or lockout notice could be issued as early as Sunday, Sept. 15<\/p>\n\n\n\n
12:20 p.m. EDT:\u00a0<\/strong>Air Canada and business leaders have already asked Ottawa to be ready to step in and avoid a stoppage, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a different message Friday<\/p>\n\n\n\n Figure it out yourself<\/p>\n\n\n\n Facing questions on whether the government is planning to force arbitration, Trudeau responded adamantly that it shouldn\u2019t be up to the government to do so \u201cevery time there\u2019s a strike<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to put my finger on the scale at either side,\u201d he said during a news conference for a separate announcement in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Que<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs we\u2019ve said repeatedly, we need to make sure the parties are working extremely hard to resolve this,\u201d he said<\/p>\n\n\n\n Labour Minister Steve MacKinnon met with the airline and union yesterday, Trudeau added, without offering further details<\/p>\n\n\n\n During a news conference on Wednesday, MacKinnon said \u201cthere\u2019s no reason\u201d the parties shouldn\u2019t be able to reach a deal\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n 11:40 a.m. EDT:\u00a0<\/strong>Negotiations are ongoing today<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSometimes, we really do feel close to reaching a deal,\u201d said Hudy in an interview with CTV News Channel Friday. \u201cOther times, we feel miles apart<\/p>\n\n\n\n She said that among the changes pilots are seeking in their contracts, one particular sticking point concerns the cross-Atlantic pilots, many of whom are performing as many as 12 of trips across the ocean each month<\/p>\n\n\n\n She said their colleagues at other airlines make that kind of trip between just six and eight times per month<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is a real element of fatigue there,\u201d she said, adding that pilots need adequate rest time because they “carry a lot of responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n An airline spokesperson told CTV\u2019s Your Morning he hopes for a resolution before Sunday<\/p>\n\n\n\n Failing that, the work stoppage could affect \u201cover 110,000 people a day, who have plans and will be severely inconvenienced,\u201d said Christophe Hennebelle<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said Air Canada is looking for seats with other airlines for their passengers who may have their flights cancelled<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut we have to be realistic. There just will not be enough seats for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The other issue dominating headlines is compensation. The union wants a pay increase, and though the airline says they\u2019ve made a proposal, Air Canada claims it was met with \u201cunreasonable\u201d demands<\/p>\n\n\n\n CTVNews.ca has reached out to the union for a response<\/p>\n\n\n\n 10:20 a.m. EDT:\u00a0<\/strong>Air Canada has already stopped accepting certain cargo, such as perishables and live animals, in case the airline grounds its fleet. Certain aircraft have been rerouted, should a disruption happen and they require maintenance<\/p>\n\n\n\n Air Canada spokesperson Peter Fitzpatrick told CP24 the airline has not cancelled any flights in anticipation of the stoppage, but preparations are underway<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Air Canada’s potential work stoppage could ground flights, halt cargo and leave travellers scrambling to reschedule next week The airline and its pilots are at a negotiating impasse over wages. The union, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), seeks to narrow the gap between Canadian and American salaries. In late August, its members voted 98 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":29622,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"jnews_post_split":[],"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n