The Air Canada Flight Attendant Strike/Lockout, Explained

Most Canadians – especially those travelling at this time – are aware of the current Air Canada flight attendant strike/lockout.

Over the weekend, the workers elected to continue striking despite a federal ministerial order to return to work and submit to binding arbitration. How did this come about, and can the flight attendants continue to defy the order? What happens if they don't return to work? This post will aim to answer some of those hot-topic questions.

How did we get here?

Unionized workers don't have individual employment contracts – they bargain collectively for one group contract called a collective agreement. Collective agreements can last a number of years before they come up for renewal and re-negotiation. Air Canada's flight attendants are represented by a component of a union called CUPE, and their most recent collective agreement lasted for ten years. Once that agreement expired on March 31, 2025, CUPE and Air Canada had to negotiate the