The union representing 18,500 flight attendants across Canada says the 2,100 CUPE members at Air Transat have the full support and solidarity of CUPE’s Airline Division, after CUPE’s Air Transat Component announced their membership had given the union a 99.8% vote in support of strike action if a fair deal cannot be reached by January 3, 2024.
“Your fight is our fight too, and we’ll stand with you every step the way until you get a fair deal,” said Division President Wesley Lesosky.
While the airline industry has rebounded from the devastation of the pandemic, flight attendants at Air Transat and other airlines are being crushed by stagnant wages and the skyrocketing cost of living.
“The starting salary for a flight attendant at Air Transat is $26,000 a year; how can these workers look after themselves and their loved ones on that kind of income in major cities like Toronto and Montreal?” asked Lesosky. “The short answer is: they can’t, and it’s only made worse by the fact that airlines like Air Transat don’t pay flight attendants for an average of 35 hours every month while they carry out vital duties like boarding and pre-flight safety checks.”
“Our members are united and excited to make major gains in our next agreement,” said Dominic Levasseur, President of the Air Transat Component of CUPE. “With the support of our whole Airline Division behind us, we are so much stronger.”
CUPE represents 18,500 flight attendants at ten airlines across Canada, including Air Canada, Air Transat, Calm Air, Canadian North, Flair, PAL, Pascan, Pivot, Sunwing, and WestJet. Visit unpaidworkwontfly.ca to learn more about CUPE’s Unpaid Work Won’t Fly campaign.