Would you work without salary? The question behind Air Canada strike

When Air Canada on -board agents left the job earlier a week ago, they had a rallying cry: “Unpaid work will not fly.”

It was a reference to the long -standing practice of the aeronautical industry of North America not to pay the cabin crew for the work they do when they are on the ground, before the plane was in motion.

On the other hand, some European airlines, industry experts have told BBC, paying monthly wages from the cabin crew rather than time.

The wage structure surprised Canadian leaflets, many of whom supported workers on strike, suggested a survey commissioned by the union.

The brief strike has wreaked havoc during the tip of the summer trip season, but thefts resumed after the two parties accepted a provisional agreement on Tuesday.

The proposed agreement reached by the Canadian union for public employees (CUP) and Air Canada has not been completely released, but those who know its content reports that it includes a payroll over several years and, in particular, a partial salary for boarding tasks and secure checks in the cabin before takeoff – a first.

Experts say that the victories guaranteed by the Air Canada cabin crew could help consolidate a new standard for aviation workers on the continent.

The union called it “historic” earlier this week, declaring unpaid work “.

But the media reported that many on -board agents, who must always vote to approve the agreement, remain dissatisfied. It is not clear if the agreement has enough support to pass, reported Reuters.

Air Canada on -board agents were not alone in not being paid for what industry calls for “ground work”.

The cabin crew for other Canadian airlines Air Transat and Westjet have no ground salary as part of their remuneration structure. Nor is the United Airlines on -board agents anymore, although contractual negotiations are currently underway.

John Gradek, a business professor and aviation management expert at McGill University in Montreal, said that the introduction of a ground wages for Air Canada workers could trigger a “tsunami” that would soon sweep all large airlines in North America.

For decades, the practice was justified on the grounds that it is easier to follow the hours when an airplane leaves the door and landed, he said. It is more difficult to include the boarding time, which can vary depending on delays and the number of passengers.

To mitigate this, the airlines have increased the hourly wages of the cabin crew, although many argue that total salary is still low, especially for those who live in major North American cities, often expensive.

Air Canada said that half of its “main on -board agents” earned more than $ 54,000 CA ($ 39,000; £ 29,000) last year, some of the most high -end executives earning more than $ 70,000 CA.

The figures were slightly different for Air Canada Rouge, the carrier’s reduction wing.

Air Canada’s long -standing edge agents, Leslie Woolaver, said to the local press at the Halifax examiner that she estimated that she had carried out around 40 hours of unpaid work per month.

This figure is similar to what was reported by nearly 10,000 on -board agents in an investigation carried out by the CUPE at the end of December 2022. At the time, Wesley Lesosky, president of the union’s airline division, called unpaid work “a dirty secret in this industry”.

Junior on -board agents are the most affected, said Wooolaver at Halifax to examine because they tend to work shorter flights.

Attitudes to the ground remuneration began to move after the COVVI-19 pandemic, which brought new rules concerning the masking on planes and has considerably changed the way the cabin crew is preparing an airplane for takeoff.

Steven Tufts, professor and labor expert at York University in Toronto, said that “increased complexity of boarding residents exerted a lot of pressure on board agents” and forced them to work even more unpaid hours.

“Finally, they said:” No. This must change, “he said.

Delta Airlines led the charge in 2022 when she became the first in North America to offer Cabin Crew Pay for the work they have done on the ground. American Airlines and Alaska Airlines quickly followed.

After the provisional agreement with Air Canada was concluded, the director of operations of the airline, Mark Nasr, told the CBC that the car crew of the carriers would now receive “the leading remuneration of the industry”.

“The ground salary is paid. Our on -board agents will be paid for time on the ground.”

But the future of the agreement remains uncertain.

Friday, Reuters spoke with several workers from airlines who are not satisfied with the proposed agreement, specifically citing the ground remuneration and the impact of the wages of entry -level workers.

Lesosky told the point of sale that new strikes would be illegal and that wage disputes would probably be resolved to arbitration while the other parties of the agreement have progressed.

Whatever the result, a form of ground remuneration is likely to stay.

With Air Canada – The largest airline in Canada – which was now on board, industry observers say that a new precedent is ready for the world airline industry.

Air Transat and Westjet both have future contractual negotiations. Professor Gradek said he thought that ground remuneration would be an easy victory for them because they will want to keep their competitive salary.

More broadly, the gains obtained following the Air Canada strike were also welcomed as a turning point for labor rights in Canada due to the union’s refusal to comply with a return to work order.

The federal government has invoked article 107 of the Canada Labor Code, which has been used in recent years to put an end to employment actions and force binding arbitration.

This time, public sympathy was largely on the side of striking workers due to the emphasis on unpaid work, Professor Gradek said.

“It was a control of negotiation by the union,” he said.