However, five flight attendants interviewed by Reuters said they plan to reject the deal, citing low entry-level wages and inadequate compensation for time spent waiting for flights.
Air Canada’s offer still is not “liveable,” one flight attendant told Reuters, asking not to be named. Another said she would vote “no” because she would still not be paid for delays, including a recent four-hour wait before a long-haul flight.
Tentative deal with Air Canada
Over four years, the contract would raise entry-level wages by about 20% and more experienced crew pay by 16%. Flight attendants would receive 60 minutes of pre-flight pay on narrowbody aircraft and 70 minutes on widebodies, beginning at 50% of their hourly rate in year one and increasing to 70% by the fourth year, said the report.
Wesley Lesosky, president of the Air Canada component of CUPE, acknowledged members’ frustration in the Reuters report, but stressed that the union aimed to protect gains made at the bargaining table while preserving the right for members to vote.
“If it’s turned down, the wage portion of the tentative agreement will be resolved at arbitration; the remaining items will move forward,” he said in the interview.