A potentially crippling strike has been
averted. Management at Air Canada, the country’s
largest airline, has averted a strike by reaching a tentative agreement
with its pilots.
The carrier has more than 5,000 pilots.
The tentative deal is for four years. At
one point, negotiations between the two sides appeared to be so stalled that
the airline thirded with
asking the government to step in and intervene.
“I wasn’t looking forward to an Air Canada
strike, because I booked this ticket like a month and a half back, so a
last-minute change would have been pretty bad,” said Arjun Pandit, who was
heading to New York City on Sunday from Toronto for work. “It would have halted
the entire trip.”
Federal Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon
issued a statement shortly after the deal was announced.
“Thanks to the hard work of the parties
and federal mediators, disruptions have been prevented for Canadians,”
MacKinnon said on social media. “I wish to salute the efforts of Air Canada and
its pilots, who approached the discussions with seriousness and a resolve to
get a deal.”
Union members still must vote on the
proposed deal.
“The new agreement recognizes the
contributions and professionalism of Air Canada’s pilot group, while providing
a framework for the future growth of the airline,” Air Canada said in a
statement.
The terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but the union said it could be worth $1.9 billion extra to the pilots over the next four years.
“The consistent engagement and unified
determination of our pilots have been the catalyst for achieving this
contract,” said First Officer Charlene Hudy, chair of the union.
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