The union representing Air Canada’s 10,000 flight attendants said on Sunday that it would defy a back-to-work order and continue a strike that shut down Canada’s dominant carrier and severely disrupted travel throughout the country.
The announcement came at the same time that Air Canada had ordered the flight attendants to show up for work Sunday afternoon to restart service that evening.
“We will be challenging this blatantly unconstitutional order that violates the charter rights of 10,000 flight attendants, 70 percent of whom are women, and 100 percent of whom are forced to do hours of unpaid work by their employer every time they come to work,” the Canadian Union of Public Employees said in statement. “We remain on strike. We demand a fair, negotiated contract and to be compensated for all hours worked.”
The flight attendants went on strike over wages. They are also seeking to be paid for work they perform on the ground before takeoff and after landing.
Less than 12 hours after the attendants went on strike early Saturday morning, Patty Hajdu, the federal labor minister, told the Canada Industrial Relations Board to use binding arbitration to come up with a contract and to shut down the strike. The independent board ordered the flight attendants to return to work at 2 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday.
The Supreme Court of Canada has upheld the right of workers to strike even when it causes disruptions. It has not, however, specifically addressed using arbitration to end walkouts. Air Canada asked the government to impose it last week before the strike began.
Before the union’s announcement on Sunday, Air Canada said it would resume some flights in the evening.
The labor board can issue fines, which can be turned into court orders, for defying its order.
Ian Austen reports on Canada for The Times. A Windsor, Ontario, native now based in Ottawa, he has reported on the country for two decades. He can be reached at [email protected].
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