Flight attendants at Air Canada began voting on whether to authorize a strike vote as negotiations continue with the carrier, the union representing 10,000 flight attendants said on Monday.
“The vote will be open from July 28 to August 5 and will give CUPE’s 10,000 members at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge an opportunity to give their union a strong mandate to negotiate a new contract,” a spokesperson for the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) told Global News.
Voting began at 2 p.m. EST, the spokesperson said.
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The union called for a strike vote on Friday, informing members that they would receive an email with details on how to vote.
The union said the key issues on the bargaining table are what it calls “poverty-level wages for junior flight attendants” and “hours and hours of mandatory unpaid work.”
“A strike vote does not necessarily mean there will be a strike or a disruption of service. A strike is always the last option, and our goal is still to reach a new contract at the bargaining table,” the spokesperson added.
In a statement on Friday, Air Canada acknowledged the vote was “a normal step in the negotiation process and does not mean that any disruption will take place.”
“In fact, a strike cannot take place before a 21-day cooling-off period, after the 60-day conciliation period has expired,” Air Canada said in a statement.
Last year, Air Canada’s pilots nearly went on strike after a tough round of negotiations between the Air Line Pilots Association and Air Canada.
However, a strike was averted, and the pilots ratified a new collective agreement in October.
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