Air Canada, flight attendant union must return to the table: jobs minister

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What you need to know if you’re flying with Air Canada out of Pearson today

Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu is urging Air Canada and the union representing its flight attendants to get back to the negotiating table, suggesting she’s not ready to intervene in a dispute that has upended hundreds of flights.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Hajdu said it’s “critical” that the two parties “return to the table” to forge a deal on their own.

The minister said the union has indicated many of its demands have been met, suggesting there is a path forward to a deal.

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“The union said themselves that many of their demands have been met. However, right now, they’re not at the table,” she said.

“It’s very important that both the union and the corporation return to the table, roll up their sleeves and finish this deal.”

Hajdu’s comments came just hours before a deadline of 1 a.m. Saturday, when some 10,000 flight attendants were in a position to walk off the job without an agreement in place.

The country’s largest airline and CUPE have blamed each other for their bargaining impasse, with the union rejecting a request for binding arbitration and the company imposing a lockout.

The Air Canada component of CUPE said it is eager to avoid a work stoppage by sitting down to negotiate, while the airline has requested Hajdu step in and direct the parties to enter binding arbitration.

Business groups have meanwhile warned of the damage a protracted dispute will do to the economy and have called on the government to consider all its options for ending the dispute — including imposing binding arbitration.

Hajdu acknowledged the economy is “stressed” and said this is a time for “Canadians to pull together — and I expect corporations and unions to do that, too.”

She also said it’s not up to her to “resolve the issues in the collective agreement,” but the minister did not rule anything out, either.

“It’s very important that we stay focused on the two parties. They have the primary responsibility to solve this. This is a corporation and a union who have all the tools they need, as well as tools from the federal mediation service, to get this deal done,” Hajdu said.

“Canadians are watching with a high degree of empathy ... and a high degree of anxiety, and I think the country is depending on these parties to do their work and to be diligent about turning over every stone.”

In a statement posted on social media, the minister said she met with both parties together on Friday evening and told them to work harder to reach a deal.

“It is unacceptable that such little progress has been made,” Hajdu said.

Air Canada warned it is cancelling around 500 flights in anticipation of the looming work stoppage, with a full halt expected to start Saturday.

The airline has said that customers whose flights are cancelled will be offered a full refund.

Air Canada said it is also allowing customers to change their travel plans without a fee if they choose to do so.

With files from Sammy Hudes in Toronto

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press