Air Canada Strike Grounds 100,000 Travelers, Government Forces Airline and Flight Servers Back to Work | Tops

The Canadian government stepped in to resolve the contract between Air Canada and its cabin crew, ordering binding arbitration to end the strike. The move, strongly backed by the airline, but firmly resisted by the flight servers’ union is aimed at breaking the stalemate. Thousands of Air Canada flight servers walked off the track for the first time since 1985, just before 1 o’clock EDT (0500 GMT), after months of negotiations on a new contract. In anticipation of the downtime, the airline canceled almost all its 700 daily flights, forcing more than 100,000 travelers to search for alternatives or to stay. The central sticking point in the contract discussions was the union’s effort for payment during time spent on the ground – such as assisting passengers during boarding and waiting between flights. Currently, those present receive most of their compensation only while the aircraft is in motion. Employment Minister Patty Hajdu said at a news conference that she had asked the Council of Industrial Relations in Canada to impose binding arbitration on both sides and give an immediate end to the strike. Still, she told reporters it could take 24 to 48 hours for the board to complete the work, while Air Canada said he started again after a strike would last a week. “It’s not a decision I took lightly, but the potential for immediate negative impact on Canadians and our economy is simply too great,” Hajdu said. Air Canada asked Prime Minister Mark Carney’s minority liberal government to make the request, but the Canadian Union of Public Employees said they wanted a negotiated solution, as binding arbitration would undertake the airline. The union said the CIRB chairman asked to hear herself in a virtual session on Saturday afternoon because she worked as a senior advocate at Air Canada in the past. The carrier rejected the comments on Hajdu’s decision and trial when the process is underway. Hajdu said the government elected negotiated settlements over labor disputes, but the current impasse has shown that the two parties will not find a solution to save the economy further damage. She said Canada had already experienced ‘unprecedented attacks on trade’, referring to rates imposed by the Trump administration on the US-bound consignments. Minutes after the announcement, the union blew the government’s decision. “The liberal government rewards the refusal of Air Canada to negotiate fairly by giving them exactly what they wanted,” it states in a statement on X. Henly Larden, an air hostess of Air Canada and a vice president of Cupe, the government’s move is “incredibly disgusting”. “Air Canada must come to us too much and address the issues that really echo with our members,” said a visibly emotional Larden in a shocked voice at Vancouver Airport. Cupe spokesman Hugh Pouliot told Reuters that the strike will only end when the CIRB binding arbitration notice reaches out to the parties. The council is likely to grant the government’s request. While passengers generally expressed support for flights on social media, Canadian companies – which have already arisen from a trade dispute with the US – have requested the federal government to impose binding arbitration and shorten the strike. Matthew Holmes, head of public policy for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement: “With both parties declaring an impasse in negotiations, with valuable cargo -based and passengers stranded, the government made the right decision to refer the two parties to binding arbitration. Wage issues. Trade union is looking for parity on wages with Canadian recreational carrier Air Transat. Compared to a wage of C $ 26.42 from Canada in Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge or about C $ 30 at the main line. Union officials have called on members to meet outside the country’s most important airports, including in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver. Pal Airlines -Work as usual. Carney’s predecessor Trudeau quickly intervened last year to relinquish the trail and strikes of the dock that threatened to crash the economy. Vancouver, Utkarsh Shetti and Disha Mishra in Bengaluru;