In an unusual move, Air Canada is now asking the federal government to intervene in the event the airline and the pilots union fail to reach an agreement in the coming days, which would result in a pilot’s strike. The union, on the other hand, is against this as any involvement of the government will most likely result in a favorable outcome for the employer, thus worsening labor relations.
Government intervention?
With a potential pilot strike looming, Air Canada only has a few days to reach an agreement with the pilots’ union to avert this disruption. The airline previously stated that it would suspend operations to prevent travel disruptions and offer passengers a full refund or the ability to change their bookings free of charge.
However, according to the latest reports from Reuters, the airline is now asking the federal government to be prepared to intervene in order to prevent significant travel disruptions if a deal is not reached in the coming days.
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With the possibility of the strike beginning as soon as next Wednesday (September 18th), Air Canada has limited time to reach a deal with the union.
The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), on the other hand, is not happy with this request from the airline, and a member of ALPA, in a statement made to Reuters, states:
We do not want to see any government interference in our collective bargaining… it really has the effect of tipping the power balance in favor of the employer.
Considering this request for government intervention comes soon after the airline stated it would suspend operations to prevent travel disruptions, it raises the question as to how serious the airline is about its stance of suspending its operations completely.
There is a precedent
Reports suggest that the government has intervened several times in various labor disputes within the country over the years; however, this was always after the strike began, not before, which is what Air Canada is asking for.
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Most recently, the Federal Labor Minister intervened during a strike of the two largest rail companies in the country to end a stoppage, and Air Canada states that by doing so, a precedent has been set.
While it is reported that the same Labor Minister, Steven MacKinnon, will meet with both parties, the minister has repeatedly stated that he wants both parties to come to the negotiating table to sort out their differences. This belief is also reflected by the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, who stated that the best deals are reached at the bargaining table.
A significant disparity
While the airline offered a 30% pay rise along with other benefits, the union wants their pilots to have a pay rise to match that of their counterparts in the United States. Data shows that while the pay gap between the pilots of the two countries was just 3% in 2013, this has drastically increased over the years.
With US pilots negotiating new contracts in recent years, such as pilots of 
United Airlines gaining a 42% pay rise, some United pilots now earn a staggering 92% more than their Canadian counterparts.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
The union states that such significantly large pay gaps should not exist. Additionally, the data shows that while Air Canada’s pilots have not had significant rises in wages in recent years, the airline’s executives have reportedly doubled their salaries in the past decade.