PV staff
Once again, the Liberal federal government is directly intervening in the collective bargaining process on the side of the employer, using Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to override Air Canada flight attendants’ right to strike and negotiate.
The 10,000 workers and their union, however, are standing firm and defying the back-to-work order. In this struggle, they have quickly received solidarity from unions, progressive organizations and members of the public from across the country.
Among the key issues is the below-poverty level wages that flight attendants receive. Air Canada, like many carriers in the industry, limit attendants’ compensation to the “doors closed” period of the flight, which excludes the time they spent assisting passengers before and after then. Their union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), says attendants average 35 hours of unpaid work each month.
Air Canada claims its offer of an 8-percent wage increase is fair. In fact, that increase would bring junior flight attendants’ pay to $2108 per month, far below the federal minimum wage of $2840 per month. Over the term of the last contract, a ten-year agreement, attendants’ real wages were 9 percent below inflation.
By contrast, Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau made $12.4 million in 2023-24, including $1.3 million base pay plus stocks and options.
The Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) issued the back-to-work order within hours of the start of the strike on August 16, at the directive of Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu who exercised powers in Section 107. The CIRB also ordered the union and employer to binding arbitration.
As seen in a series of recent labour disputes under federal jurisdiction, Section 107 is a powerful tool for the government to hamper the ability of workers to engage in effective strike action. The threat to fine or jail striking members and CUPE leaders is a direct attempt to limit free collective bargaining and union membership in Canada.
As one worker told People’s Voice, “This order is complete anti-worker, anti-union bullshit. If the government really cared about ‘industrial peace’ why didn’t it tell Air Canada to bargain in good faith? Why didn’t it pass legislation ensuring that workers are paid for every hour of work time? Instead, Ottawa chose to shut down a legal strike and side with a corporation that fleeces workers out of a week’s pay every month.”
The Carney government has already demonstrated a consistent devotion to pro-corporate policies, including imposing massive social spending cuts to pay for a huge increase to military spending and war preparations. The fight at Air Canada only further exposes this government’s phony claim to govern on behalf of all people in Canada.
Since announcing that they will defy the CIRB order, CUPE and the flight attendants have received an outpouring of solidarity.
The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) held an emergency meeting in which heads of unions agreed to “stand united behind Air Canada flight attendants in defying the government’s unconstitutional attack on workers’ rights.”
CLC President Bea Bruske announced that the union heads had voted unanimously to call on Ottawa to immediately withdraw the order to end the strike, to cease its use of Section 107 to end or prevent a legal strike, and to amend the Canada Labour Code to remove Section 107 as the first order of business when Parliament resumes.
Bruske also stated that unions in Canada are prepared to support these demands by coordinating a fightback campaign, promoting and coordinating financial contributions to assist with the legal related to CUPE’s decision to defy the Minister’s order, disseminate information on demonstrations and other actions with affiliates to ensure maximum impact, and work with CUPE and all affiliates to respond swiftly in the event that the government takes legal action against these workers.
The call for active solidarity and for the government to repeal Section 107 is being echoed beyond the labour movement. In a statement issued August 18, the Communist Party of Canada said, “Section 107 must be repealed as part of broader efforts to defend and expand the labour rights of all workers in Canada to join trade unions and engage in free collective bargaining.”
Communist Party leader Elizabeth Rowley said that government action also needs to include putting Air Canada back under public ownership and operating it democratically. “The Conservative government of Brian Mulroney privatized Air Canada under the so-called ‘Open Skies’ agreement,” she said. “Those actions were clearly aimed at using deregulation and privatization to boost corporate profits – part of this current struggle needs to be renationalizing Air Canada and repealing the ‘Open Skies’ policy. But there’s no way this government will do that without being forced to by working people – we need to fight!”
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