Air Canada pilots ratify labor deal, eliminating risk of strike

11:54 am Thursday, October 10th, 2024

By Allison Lampert

MONTREAL -Air Canada pilots have voted to ratify a new four-year labor deal with the country’s largest carrier, the union said on Thursday, eliminating the risk of work stoppages despite concerns by some members about pay for entry level aviators.

The agreement received 67% votes in favor, said the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents the workers. Terms of the agreement were not immediately available.

“We look forward to working under these improved pay rates and working conditions,” said Charlene Hudy, chair of the Air Canada ALPA Master Executive Council.

Air Canada averted a strike in September by reaching a last-minute deal with the union, which represents more than 5,200 of its pilots. But the tentative agreement was widely criticized by pilots on social media and even within the union local.

Hudy had told a virtual meeting that she would resign if the deal was rejected, two Air Canada pilots told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

One committee member in the local quit his post, citing a “fundamental disagreement” with the direction taken by the union in presenting the agreement to members, according to a resignation letter seen by Reuters.

The airline had been at the negotiating table with the union for the past 15 months, with pilots demanding wages that would narrow the pay gap with their American counterparts at carriers like United Airlines.

The negotiations took place under the cloud of fears over possible Canadian government intervention, after Ottawa took that step to end a work stoppage at the country’s two railroads in September.

A source told Reuters in August that the country’s Liberal government supported collective bargaining and would be reluctant to intervene in the case of an airline pilot strike.

The contract goes into effect immediately and expires on Sept. 29, 2027.

In a post on social media platform X, Air Canada said it welcomed the vote.

(Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal and Aatreyee Dasgupta in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D’Silva)