Air Canada and the union representing its flight attendants have reached a tentative agreement, bringing an end to a strike that grounded flights and stranded thousands of passengers across the country.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents about 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, confirmed the deal in a statement on Tuesday.
“Unpaid work is over. We have reclaimed our voice and our power,” CUPE spokesman Hugh Pouliot said, calling the agreement a “transformational change” after what he described as a historic fight to secure workers’ rights.
The airline also welcomed the breakthrough but warned that normal service would not resume immediately. “Our priority now is to get customers moving as quickly as possible,” Air Canada said in a statement, while apologising for the disruption. It noted that rebuilding its full flight schedule could take up to a week.
Union members must still vote to ratify the deal. If rejected, the strike could restart.
The stoppage, which began early Saturday despite a federal order to resume operations, led to the cancellation of thousands of flights and disrupted travel for more than 130,000 passengers. Workers had been demanding higher pay and compensation for time spent on grounded aircraft.
The breakthrough came after both sides returned to the negotiating table late Monday for the first time since the strike began.
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