MONTREAL — The head of the Air Canada pilots union says she’ll step down if members opt not to approve a tentative deal with the airline.
Charlene Hudy, who chairs the Air Canada contingent of the Air Line Pilots Association, told her fellow employees in a virtual townhall Friday that she “will have no choice but to resign” if they vote down the would-be agreement.
The Canadian Press has obtained a copy of her statement to members and confirmed it with two pilots.
The contract, reached last weekend after more than a year of negotiations, would grant the carrier’s 5,400 pilots a wage hike of 42 per cent over four years.
Michael Bjorge, who teaches history at Dalhousie University with a specialization industrial relations, says warnings about resignation are not unheard of and aim to drive home the merits of a tentative deal.
The agreement has faced scrutiny from some pilots, particularly more recent recruits who are unimpressed with the ongoing pay gap between newer employees and their more experienced colleagues.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2024.
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Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press