‘This is the nuclear option in labour relations’: expert on Air Canada dispute

John Gradek, an aviation expert from McGill University joined CTV Morning Live Edmonton to speak on the airline dispute.

The union of Air Canada’s flight attendants says they are locked out as of this weekend after issuing a 72-hour strike notice. A strike would impact 120,000 passengers daily, the company estimates. John Gradek, an aviation expert from McGill University, joined Nicole Lampa on CTV Morning Live Edmonton.

This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Nicole Lampa: How did the union and Air Canada get to this point in negotiations?

John Gradek: There’s a lot of conjecture about who is positioning what and how much negotiation did, in fact, take place. These negotiations have been going on in various ways, shapes or forms for the last eight months. On Monday, Air Canada basically said to the union, “We’re not getting anywhere. The gap’s too big. Let’s agree to go to binding arbitration.” Which, to me, is the nuclear option in labour relations. It’s not labour relations; it’s an imposed settlement by a third party and Air Canada walked away. So the union was faced with a situation where as of midnight ET last night, they said, “That’s it. We’re calling our strike vote to issue a 72-hour notice.” A half hour later, Air Canada locks them up.

To me, it’s been a classic failure in labour relations and negotiations. I think Air Canada is counting on the government legislating them back to work and that’s not going to happen. I think that’s still a question about how Air Canada strategy is evolving and what is necessarily going to happen here.

Nicole: It was once the standard that flight attendants were paid only when the plane was in motion. Why is this a sticking point now?

John: It’s a change in the work environment. I think there’s been a number of organizations that recognized the need to ensure that flight attendants get paid for the work that they do. This is a movement that started in the U.S. about three years ago, where Delta Airlines started to pay flight attendants for work they’re doing handling passengers prior to door closing. United Airlines followed suit and now we have Porter Airlines in Canada that does pay flight attendants for some free boarding work that they’re doing, so it’s not an unknown feature. Air Canada ought to recognize that that’s the evolution, that’s where the industry is going and that’s going to be part of the negotiation.

Nicole: We saw Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party forcing striking railway and postal workers back to the job. Will Mark Carney’s government follow suit?

John: I think that’s a good question. There are a number of things that have to be taken into consideration. The Supreme Court of Canada back in 2016 confirmed the right of employees to strike and that it’s an unalienable human right to strike, so this is part of the process. They would act in case of a situation where it was a national emergency to get this back, but this is not a national emergency. We have four other carriers in Canada very capable of flying passengers. Yes, the next few days are going to be a little bit hectic because people are booking left, right and centre. But this is one that has to be settled, in my opinion, at the negotiating table.

Nicole: What advice do you have for anyone traveling on Air Canada in the next few days?

John: If you have an Air Canada ticket and your flight’s been cancelled, wait for Air Canada to get a hold of you. They will either text you, email you or get in communication with you. They will offer you a replacement flight. It’s your choice to take it or to request a full reimbursement, but wait for Air Canada to call you. Don’t jump the gun and call them. You’re not going to get an answer on their phone lines. Let them figure out what it is they’re going to be able to offer you to replace the flight that’s been cancelled.