Canada’s flight attendants have taken their fight against unpaid work to the floor of the House of Commons, with a petition calling on the federal government to close loopholes in the Canada Labour Code that allow airlines to make flight attendants perform 35 hours of unpaid work, on average, every month.
In total, 17,012 people across Canada signed Petition e-4470, which was sponsored by NDP MP Taylor Bachrach, who serves as his party’s critic for Transport.
“This should serve notice to all Parliamentarians, no matter what their party is, that Canadians at large are behind us in our fight against unpaid work,” said Wesley Lesosky, President of CUPE’s Airline Division, which represents 18,500 flight attendants across Canada.
Once the House of Commons resumes sitting after the summer break, Mr. Bachrach will be able to formally table the petition in the House, after which the federal government will have 45 days to formally respond.
“We look forward to hearing where Prime Minister Trudeau and his government stand,” continued Lesosky. “Do they stand with ordinary working people in the airline sector who just want to be paid for our hours worked, or do they stand with the airline executives who think it’s okay to require us to work 35 hours a month for free?”