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50m ago

CIRB Declares Air Canada Flight Attendants’ Strike Illegal, Union Defies Return-to-Work

CUPE’s court appeal has cast doubt on enforcement after Air Canada delayed its planned flight resumptions in response to widespread cancellations.

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Air Canada employees and union members protest outside the Air Canada headquarters in Montreal, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, after the federal government intervened in the labour dispute between the airline and the union representing its flight attendants, ordering binding arbitration and operations to resume. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Passengers walk past an Air Canada sign, ahead of a potential strike by flight attendants of the airline, at the Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, August 14, 2025. REUTERS/Kyaw Soe Oo/File Photo

Overview

  • Canada Industrial Relations Board directed 10,000 flight attendants to resume duties immediately after ruling the strike unlawful on Monday.
  • Canadian Union of Public Employees refused to comply and has filed a Federal Court challenge against the back-to-work order.
  • Air Canada suspended its restart plans after reporting more than 500 cancelled flights and warned that schedule recovery could take days.
  • Federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code last weekend to trigger binding arbitration and secure the return order.
  • The dispute remains in a deadlock with potential enforcement measures such as fines or contempt proceedings still undecided.