Flight attendants have rejected a wage offer from Air Canada (AC), setting the stage for further labour unrest at the carrier.
Flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) voted 99% against the proposed wage increase. The union said voter turnout was 94.6%.
The rejection comes after months of negotiations between the Montreal-based airline and the union, which represents over 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge.
The proposed wage increase was 12% for flight attendants with five years of service or less and 8% for attendants with six years of service or more.
Air Canada offered annual increases of 3%, 2.5% and 2.75% in the remaining years of the proposed four-year contract.
CUPE noted in a news release that the flight attendants would still earn less than federal minimum wage with the proposed increase.
Additionally, the union says flight attendants are only paid their regular hourly wage once an airplane has taken off. On ground duties, including boarding and safety checks, are not compensated.
Lastly, CUPE says that Air Canada’s flight attendants’ pay has increased by only 10%, or about $3 an hour, over the last 25 years.
The attendants went on strike Aug. 16, grounding all flights operated by Air Canada and causing massive disruptions.
However, the federal government intervened and ordered the flight attendants back to work.
Air Canada now says the issue of wages and the new labour agreement will be referred to mediation and possibly arbitration.
The stock of Air Canada is down 14% this year and trading at $19.23 per share.
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