Air ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½'s pilots could go on strike this fall, potentially causing thousands of flight cancellations and delays.
The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½, the union representing Air ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½'s pilots, filed a notice of dispute and request for conciliation assistance with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service on June 17 regarding collective bargaining with Air ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½.
ALPA has been negotiating since June 2023 with the airline.
First Officer Charlene Hudy, chair of Air ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½’s ALPA Master Executive Council (MEC) told V.I.A. the union hopes to avoid a strike, but that it may still come to that.
"We want to reach an agreement with Air ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ to avert a strike and although we have 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," she said.
The union claims management's proposals fall "substantially short" of recently ratified contracts at comparative airlines, such as United, Delta, and American.
It also says Air ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ failed to "correct the significant pay sacrifices" the pilots made after 9/11 to contribute to the survival of the airline, which is now one of North America's most profitable carriers.
Since landing on their last agreement in 2014, Air ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ pilots have received a two per cent pay hike each year.
Air ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ responds to possible pilot strike
An Air ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ spokesperson confirmed the airline is in negotiations with the union representing its pilots under the guidance of a federal conciliator.
"Already, we have reached agreement on several items," reads a statement to V.I.A. "We are working actively to reach [an] agreement on the remaining issues with an aim to finalize a deal over the next several weeks.
"Under federal labour law, there can be no action taken by either side until mid-September at the very earliest, and therefore it is business as usual, with Air ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ operating as normal."
WestJet's pilots recently ratified a deal with its employer for a 24 per cent wage increase over the next four years. Its pilots were also represented by ALPA and the move serves as a benchmark for other Canadian airlines.
With a file from the Canadian Press.
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