Air Canada suspends restart plans after union defies return to work order : NPR

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Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press/AP TORONTO — Air Canada mentioned it suspended plans to restart operations on Sunday after the union representing 10,000 flight attendants mentioned it can defy a return to work order. The strike was already affecting about 130,000 vacationers all over the world per day throughout the peak summer time journey season.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered airline workers again to work by 2 p.m. Sunday after the federal government intervened and Air Canada mentioned it deliberate to renew flights Sunday night.

Canada's largest airline now says it can resume flights Monday night. Air Canada mentioned in an announcement that the union "illegally directed its flight attendant members to defy a path from the Canadian Industrial Relations Board."

"Our members usually are not going again to work," Canadian Union of Public Staff nationwide president Mark Hancock mentioned exterior Toronto's Pearson Worldwide Airport. "We're saying no."

The federal authorities did not instantly present touch upon the union refusing to return to work.

Hancock mentioned the "complete course of has been unfair" and mentioned the union will problem what it known as an unconstitutional order.

"Air Canada has actually refused to cut price with us they usually refused to cut price with us as a result of they knew this authorities would are available in on their white horse and attempt to save the day," he mentioned.

The nation's largest airline had mentioned early Sunday in a launch that the primary flights would resume later within the day however that it'll take a number of days earlier than its operations return to regular. It mentioned some flights will likely be canceled over the following seven to 10 days till the schedule is stabilized.

Lower than 12 hours after employees walked off the job, Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu ordered the ten,000 flight attendants again to work, saying now isn't the time to take dangers with the economic system and noting the unprecedented tariffs the U.S. has imposed on Canada. Hajdu referred the work stoppage to the Canada Industrial Relations Board.

The airline mentioned the CIRB has prolonged the time period of the present collective settlement till a brand new one is set by the arbitrator.

The shutdown of Canada's largest airline early Saturday was impacting about 130,000 individuals a day. Air Canada operates round 700 flights per day.

Flight attendants walked off the job round 1 a.m. EDT on Saturday. Across the identical time, Air Canada mentioned it will start locking flight attendants out of airports.

The bitter contract battle escalated Friday because the union turned down Air Canada's prior request to enter into government-directed arbitration, which permits a third-party mediator to determine the phrases of a brand new contract.

Final 12 months, the federal government pressured the nation's two main railroads into arbitration with their labor union throughout a piece stoppage. The union for the rail employees is suing, arguing the federal government is eradicating a union's leverage in negotiations.

The Enterprise Council of Canada had urged the federal government to impose binding arbitration on this case, too. And the Canadian Chamber of Commerce welcomed the intervention.

Hajdu maintained that her Liberal authorities isn't anti-union, saying it's clear the 2 sides are at an deadlock.

Passengers whose flights are impacted will likely be eligible to request a full refund on the airline's web site or cellular app, based on Air Canada.

The airline mentioned it will additionally provide different journey choices by way of different Canadian and international airways when doable. Nonetheless, it warned that it couldn't assure speedy rebooking as a result of flights on different airways are already full "as a result of summer time journey peak."

Air Canada and CUPE have been in contract talks for about eight months, however they've but to succeed in a tentative deal. Either side have mentioned they continue to be far aside on the difficulty of pay and the unpaid work flight attendants do when planes aren't within the air.

The airline's newest provide included a 38% improve in whole compensation, together with advantages and pensions, over 4 years, that it mentioned "would have made our flight attendants the very best compensated in Canada."