Flight attendants at Air Canada have voted overwhelmingly to strike this weekend, prompting the airline to issue a lockout notice and warn of major travel disruptions beginning Thursday.The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the attendants nationwide, issued a strike notice, prompting Air Canada to respond with a 72-hour lockout notice effective August 16. According to the union, 99.7 per cent of its members supported the strike. It further added that operations will be suspended from Saturday until a labor agreement is reached.“For the past nine months, we have put forward solid, data-driven proposals on wages and unpaid work, all rooted in fairness and industry standards,” said Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada Component of CUPE. “Air Canada’s response to our proposals makes one thing clear: they are not interested in resolving these critical issues.”The airline said eight months of negotiations and an offer to go to arbitration failed to produce a deal. On August 11, it proposed a 38 per cent pay increase over four years, along with additional benefits and protections, but the union rejected the offer.Air Canada will begin winding down operations ahead of the lockout, with cancellations starting on August 14, increasing on August 15 and a full shutdown on August 16. The carrier operates about 430 daily flights between Canada and the US, serving more than 50 American airports and transports around 130,000 passengers each day, as reported by CNN. The union is demanding full pay for all hours worked, cost-of-living adjustments and boarding pay. These issue are currently under negotiation at US airlines, where attendants often are not compensated for boarding time.Canadian minister of jobs and families Patty Hajdu said in a statement that she has met with both parties and that federal mediators will remain engaged until a resolution is found. “I am closely monitoring the situation and encourage both parties to stay at the table until a deal is found,” her statement read.
