On August 16, 2025, the usually bustling terminals of Toronto Pearson International Airport took on a very different look. Instead of travelers hurrying to their gates, more than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants formed determined picket lines, holding signs and chanting for fairer wages and recognition of their unpaid labor. For four days, from August 16 to 19, the strike sent shockwaves through Canada’s busiest airport and beyond, as Air Canada was forced to cancel about 700 flights each day, disrupting travel plans for roughly 130,000 people daily and suspending operations of both its main airline and its low-cost carrier, Air Canada Rouge.
The roots of the walkout stretch back to 2015, when Air Canada flight attendants signed a decade-long collective agreement with the airline—a contract outlining wages, benefits, and working hours. That agreement expired in March 2025, prompting the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents the flight attendants, to the negotiating table. But talks quickly hit a wall, especially over a longstanding sore spot: pay for pre-flight duties like boarding, deplaning, and safety checks. These tasks—essential for passenger safety—are typically unpaid, a fact that many flight attendants say is both unfair and emblematic of deeper gender disparities in the airline industry.
“About 70 per cent of flight attendants are women,” explained Natasha Stea, an Air Canada flight attendant and president of CUPE’s air cabin crew division in Montréal, as reported by The Salt Lake Tribune. “They perform duties such as boarding, deplaning, and safety checks without pay.” By contrast, pilots—who are predominantly men—receive compensation for all their work hours. This, Stea and others argue, highlights a historical pattern in which roles dominated by women are undervalued compared to male-dominated positions.
As negotiations dragged on, Air Canada’s final offer before the strike included a 38 per cent increase in total compensation over four years. But CUPE rejected the proposal, calling it insufficient in the face of rising inflation and the soaring cost of living. “The raises remain well below inflation and are insufficient for the current cost of living,” CUPE stated, underscoring the union’s push for a deal that would better offset Canada’s roughly 30 per cent total inflation over the past decade.
The strike’s impact was immediate and far-reaching. With hundreds of flights canceled each day, travelers faced delays, missed connections, and unexpected overnight stays. The Canadian government, eager to bring the dispute to a close, invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code. This allowed Minister of Jobs and Families, Patty Hajdu, to enforce binding arbitration—a process where a neutral third party determines the terms of a new agreement. The federal labour board issued a back-to-work order under Section 107. Yet, in a bold move, CUPE chose to defy the order and continued the strike.
After three tense days and nine hours of government-mediated talks, a tentative deal was finally reached on August 19. The agreement included compensation for at least 60 minutes of pre-flight duties at 50 per cent of the hourly rate. Additionally, cabin crew with under five years of experience were promised a cumulative wage increase of over 20 per cent, while those with more experience would see a 17 per cent boost. Importantly, the deal stipulated that ground pay increases would be binding regardless of the outcome of the subsequent vote.
However, not all flight attendants were satisfied. Many pointed out that the new wage increases paled in comparison to those secured by Air Canada’s pilots in 2024, who received a 26 per cent increase in hourly pay in the first year and a 42 per cent cumulative increase over four years. “Flight attendants were seeking a salary increase to better offset rising costs,” noted The Salt Lake Tribune, reflecting a sentiment echoed by many workers on the picket lines.
Voting on the tentative deal began on August 27 and is set to conclude on September 6. If flight attendants reject the agreement, a third party will determine the final terms. Regardless of the vote’s outcome, the agreement to raise ground pay will stand.
This high-profile strike is just the latest chapter in a broader story of labor unrest and union activism across North America. As The Salt Lake Tribune detailed in a recent analysis, labor victories like those of Air Canada’s flight attendants and Park City’s ski patrollers have sparked renewed interest in unionization, even as they have prompted a fierce backlash. In Utah, for example, the passage of HB267 banned public sector collective bargaining—a move supported by wealthy employers and special interest groups such as Vail Resorts, ALEC, and the Heritage Foundation. These efforts, critics say, are designed to make it as difficult as possible for workers to organize.
Yet, history shows that workers’ desire for a collective voice is persistent—and often born from hardship. The tragic explosion at Utah’s Winter Quarters Mine on May 1, 1900, which killed approximately 200 miners, stands as a grim reminder of the dangers faced by workers when employers ignore safety and refuse to negotiate. After the disaster, miners’ attempts to strike for better conditions ended in failure, with most losing their jobs or being forced to accept even lower wages.
Decades later, in the 1980s, Park City municipal employees faced a similar struggle. After unionizing in response to stagnant wages, they went on strike when the city manager refused to negotiate. The response was swift and harsh: most hourly employees were fired, and those who sought to return had to reapply without back pay. Despite public support and the backing of an appeals board, the city council sided with management, leaving workers without wages for months.
But not all labor stories end in defeat. In Butte, Montana, a different approach yielded far better results. There, a mine owner who paid good wages and negotiated regularly with unionized workers saw improved productivity and stability. “Due to his cooperative model, miners chose not to strike at his mines,” noted The Salt Lake Tribune. The mines became among the most productive and profitable in the world, demonstrating that when employers and unions work together, both can benefit.
Contemporary anti-union rhetoric often claims that unions reduce efficiency and take away individual negotiating power. But, as labor historian Matt Basso and history major Sam Ivie from the University of Utah argue, this argument is less about helping workers and more about keeping labor costs down to maximize profits. “Unions aren’t perfect, but they are dedicated to helping workers easily afford a home, food and childcare — and to giving them a voice at their jobs,” they wrote.
Public support for unions remains strong, especially among younger generations like Gen Z, who value collective action and fair wages. The recent support for a referendum to overturn Utah’s HB267 signals that many still believe in the power of unions to improve lives and workplaces.
As Air Canada flight attendants await the results of their vote, the outcome will resonate far beyond airport terminals. Their struggle is part of a larger movement—one that continues to shape the future of work, fairness, and the right to be heard.
