Air Canada
Air Canada pilots informational picket at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Aug. 27, 2024, with more than 2,000 pilots in attendance across the country at other locations. Photo: Della Rollins
At A Glance
Pilots joined ALPA: 2023
Number of pilots/flightcrew members: More than 5,400
Pilot bases: Montréal, Qué.; Toronto, Ont.; Winnipeg, Man.; and Vancouver, B.C.
Hubs/key markets: Montréal, Qué.; Toronto, Ont.; Winnipeg, Man.; and Vancouver, B.C.
Headquarters: Montréal, Qué.
Operations: Air Canada serves airports in Canada and the U.S. with up to 400 daily flights between the two countries. The airline’s international network extends to six continents with service to more than 80 airports.
Fleet: Mainline—B-737 MAX 8s, B-767-300Fs, B-777-200LRs, B-777-300ERs, B-787-8s, B-787-9s, A220-300s, A319s, A320s, A321s, and A330-300s. Air Canada Rouge—A319s, A320s, and A321s
Air Canada pilots officially presented management with their notice to bargain in June 2023. In January 2024, after months of slow movement at the negotiating table, they entered private mediation with management in an effort to speed up the negotiating progress. During the last week of scheduled mediation, the pilots held a flash informational picket on May 28 in downtown Toronto, Ont., outside the building mediation was taking place, to show management they were unified in achieving a contract that properly reflected the value the pilots bring to the airline.
When an agreement wasn’t reached by the end of private mediation, ALPA filed a notice of dispute in June, starting the clock on the conciliation period, which would ultimately provide the pilots with the right to strike at the end of the cooling-off period, should an agreement not be reached.
In August, the pilot group voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike, with a 98 percent “yes” vote. Shortly thereafter, on the last day of the 90-day conciliation period, the pilot group held a nationwide informational picket in Montréal, Qué.; Toronto, Ont.; Winnipeg, Man.; and Vancouver, B.C. More than 2,000 pilots stood shoulder to shoulder, with many more showing support online, all demonstrating their frustration with the carrier and its lack of acknowledgement of the pilot group’s value.
“We want to reach an agreement with Air Canada to avert a strike,” said F/O Charlene Hudy, the pilots’ Master Executive Council (MEC) chair, at the time. “And although we made some progress in conciliation, management continues to force us closer to a strike position by not listening to our most pressing needs at the negotiating table regarding fair compensation, respectable retirement benefits, and quality-of-life improvements.”
As Air Canada pilots prepared for the possibility of a strike, opening their strike centre headquarters in Toronto in mid-September and securing a record number of media hits, the Negotiating Committee reached an agreement with management, which was subsequently approved by the MEC and shared with the pilot group. On Oct. 10, 2024, Air Canada pilots voted 67 percent in favour of a new collective agreement, bringing their year-and-half-long negotiating period to a close.
