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The Canadian authorities introduced the Air Canada strike to a screeching halt Saturday by imposing binding arbitration on the airline and its flight attendants.
The transfer got here lower than 12 hours after Air Canada’s 10,000 flight attendants walked off the job, at 1 a.m. Saturday, after months of stalled negotiations over a brand new contract.
Canada’s labor coverage minister, Patty Hajdu, mentioned she met with each side Friday evening and decided there was a low chance of a near-term deal.
“They’re to this point aside on a lot of points that they’re going to want some assist,” she informed the Wall Avenue Journal.
“This isn’t a call that I’ve taken calmly, however the potential for rapid unfavorable impression on Canadians and our financial system is just too nice,” she mentioned.
Probably the most contentious challenge within the contract talks has been the Canadian Union of Public Workers’ demand for compensation for time spent on the bottom between flights and when serving to passengers board. Flight crews are at present solely compensated when their airplane is shifting.
Montreal-based Air Canada formally requested this week the federal government impose binding arbitration, arguing talks had been at an deadlock.
The union in an announcement mentioned the federal government gave Air Canada what it wished.
The union, generally known as CUPE, made “affordable proposals for a good cost-of-living wage improve,” it mentioned. “Air Canada responded by sandbagging the talks.”
Air Canada mentioned it was untimely to debate when flights would resume because the arbitration order was simply unveiled.
Air Canada transports about 130,000 passengers each day, operates almost 200 flights each day to the U.S., and flies to just about 60 nations.
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