Canada’s labor board has ruled the strike by 10,000 Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants illegal and directed them back to work, ending a three–day disruption that has stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers at the peak of the summer season.
The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) issued the order on Monday, saying union members must “resume the performance of their duties immediately” and provide written confirmation of compliance by noon. The tribunal, which enforces federal labor law, had already instructed staff to return to work Sunday and enter binding arbitration, but the union ignored the directive.
Air Canada said its plan to restart flights on Sunday was blocked when the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) told members to defy the order. The airline now says operations will gradually resume Monday evening. By late Monday morning, Air Canada had canceled 540 flights, with its low–cost Rouge subsidiary canceling another 131, according to FlightAware.
The walkout, which began early Saturday morning, has been affecting roughly 130,000 passengers each day. The airline estimates that about 500,000 customers’ flights have been canceled so far. Passengers can request refunds through Air Canada’s website or mobile app.
Prime Minister Mark Carney weighed in on Monday, urging both sides to resolve the dispute quickly. “We are in a situation where literally hundreds of thousands of Canadians and visitors to our country are being disrupted by this action,” he said, calling the breakdown in talks “disappointing” but stressing that flight attendants deserve fair pay.
CUPE’s national president Mark Hancock has remained defiant, tearing up a copy of the first back–to–work order outside Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Sunday as striking attendants cheered. “Our members are not going back to work. We are saying no,” Hancock declared.
The dispute centers on wages and unpaid hours. The union argues the company’s proposal fails to keep up with inflation, while the airline insists its offer — a 38 percent increase in overall compensation over four years, including benefits and pensions — would make its flight attendants the best compensated in the country.
Negotiations have been ongoing for about eight months without resolution. Air Canada operates about 700 flights a day, making the strike one of the most disruptive labor disputes in recent years.
Last year, the federal government intervened to end a rail strike by ordering binding arbitration. Rail workers’ unions are now suing, arguing such measures strip away unions’ bargaining power, a debate that has resurfaced in the fallout of Air Canada’s labor standoff.