On a humid August morning in Toronto, a sea of bright pink and yellow protest signs bobbed outside Pearson International Airport. The message from Air Canada flight attendants was loud and clear: "Unpaid work won't fly." For days, the nation’s largest airline was locked in a tense standoff with its cabin crew, whose walkout—sparked by the long-standing industry practice of not paying for pre-flight duties—brought summer travel to a grinding halt and ignited a national debate about labor rights, government intervention, and the true value of work.
The strike, which began around August 16, 2025, was no ordinary labor dispute. According to BBC reporting, flight attendants had long gone unpaid for "ground work"—the hours spent boarding passengers, conducting safety checks, and preparing the cabin before wheels ever left the tarmac. While European carriers often pay monthly salaries, North American airlines have historically compensated crew only from the moment the plane pushes back from the gate. That meant, as one long-time Air Canada attendant, Leslie Woolaver, estimated to the Halifax Examiner, she worked about 40 hours each month without pay. A 2022 survey of nearly 10,000 flight attendants echoed her experience, revealing a hidden world of unpaid labor that union leaders called "a dirty secret in this industry."
Public reaction was swift and surprisingly sympathetic. Many Canadians were shocked to learn of the pay structure, and a poll commissioned by the Canadian Union for Public Employees (CUPE) suggested strong support for the strikers. As the disruption to peak summer travel mounted, pressure built on both sides. Then, on August 19, a tentative deal was reached between CUPE and Air Canada. Details of the agreement, as reported by Reuters and the BBC, included a pay increase spread over several years and, crucially, partial pay for boarding and cabin secure checks—a first for North America.
"Ground pay is settled. Our flight attendants will be paid for time on the ground," declared Air Canada’s chief operations officer, Mark Nasr, in comments to CBC. The union hailed the agreement as "historic," with CUPE’s airline division president Wesley Lesosky stating that unpaid work was now "over." Observers like John Gradek, an aviation management expert at McGill University, predicted that the move could trigger a "tsunami" of similar changes across North American carriers. After all, Delta Airlines had broken the mold in 2022 by introducing ground pay, with American Airlines and Alaska Airlines following suit. Now, with Air Canada—the continent’s largest carrier—on board, the precedent seemed set for a new industry standard.
But the story was far from over. As flight attendants prepared to vote on the deal, many voiced dissatisfaction, particularly over how ground pay would affect entry-level wages. Some told Reuters they remained unconvinced, leaving the outcome uncertain as of August 23. Further strikes, however, would be illegal under the government’s back-to-work order, with wage disputes likely headed to arbitration.
The strike’s legal and political dimensions were as dramatic as its economic ones. On August 18, dozens of union leaders gathered in downtown Toronto to oppose Ottawa’s use of Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code—a clause that gives the federal government sweeping power to end strikes. The Canada Labour Congress, representing both public- and private-sector unions, called for the removal of Section 107 and pledged financial support for any flight attendants fined for defying the order. Their joint statement, as reported by Reuters and The Globe and Mail, accused the government of siding with employers and undermining the collective bargaining process.
"If there is one thing that will unite public- and private-sector workers in Toronto on a Sunday in August, it is heavy-handed government," said J.P. Hornick, president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union. The union’s refusal to comply with the back-to-work order was seen by many as a master class in negotiation, and a rare show of unity among Canada’s labor movement. The federal government, for its part, has invoked Section 107 six times in the past two years—a frequency that has alarmed unionists and labor experts alike.
The broader context, however, is more complicated. While Air Canada flight attendants secured a cumulative wage gain of 16% to 20% over their new four-year contract—their first raise since 2015, after a decade-long contract—broader labor momentum in Canada appears to be waning. As labor studies professor Larry Savage of Brock University told The Globe and Mail, "The Air Canada strike seems to have put fire in the bellies of unions temporarily. But it was a single episodic moment that likely does not indicate the resurgence of union power."
Indeed, data from the Ontario government shows that average wage increases for private-sector unions have dipped from 4% in 2022 to 3.3% in 2025. Public-sector unions saw a similar decline, with wage boosts dropping from 4% in 2023 to 3.6% in 2025. Federal figures mirror this trend, reflecting a cooling labor market and the waning of the inflation-driven bargaining power seen during the pandemic. Adam King, a labor studies professor at the University of Manitoba, explained, "The pandemic context was somewhat unique. Inflation precipitated a cost-of-living crisis that lit a fire under labour, and unions were confronted with members’ raised expectations and a new willingness to fight." But as inflation ebbs and economic uncertainty rises, unions’ leverage appears to be slipping.
Yet, not everyone agrees that the window for labor gains has closed. Union leaders argue that the underlying issues—soaring living costs and widening wealth inequality—remain unresolved. Statistics Canada reported in early 2025 that the gap between the highest- and lowest-income households had reached a record high. "You cannot have this level of wealth disparity and not have it impact organizing. We are seeing workers angrier than ever about how their wages have not kept up with the price of goods while executive compensation is on the rise," said Hornick.
There have been some notable labor victories in recent months, particularly in British Columbia. Uber drivers in Victoria joined the United Food and Commercial Workers union, becoming the first platform workers to unionize in Canada, while Amazon warehouse workers in Delta achieved union certification with Unifor. These wins, though rare, suggest that even giant employers can be challenged when the right conditions align. Changes in B.C. labor laws—restoring single-step union certification—have also made organizing easier in that province.
Meanwhile, employers are pushing back. Industry groups like FETCO, which represents federally regulated employers in transportation and communications, argue that new anti-replacement worker laws will lead to more frequent strikes and disrupt vital services. They are lobbying for changes that would allow companies to use other employees to fill in during labor disputes, a move union leaders fiercely oppose.
For now, the Air Canada strike stands as a flashpoint—proof that, even in a cooling labor market, organized workers can still win significant gains. But as the dust settles, the question remains: Was this a turning point for labor in Canada, or simply a brief flare of defiance in an otherwise challenging climate? The answer, it seems, will depend on whether other workers—and their employers—are willing to test the new boundaries of bargaining power.
With the ink still drying on Air Canada’s tentative deal, the eyes of the continent’s aviation industry—and perhaps workers everywhere—are watching closely to see what comes next.
