Air Canada Pilots to Protest at Toronto Pearson Airport About Pay and Working Conditions

An Air Canada aircraft is parked at a gate at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, B.C., on Dec. 26, 2022. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

On the same day their collective agreement expires, Air Canada pilots will protest at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Sept. 29 to demand improved compensation and working conditions.

After their American colleagues at companies like American Airlines and Delta Air Lines scored significant gains in recent negotiations, Canadian pilots are pushing for more pay and better scheduling.

“As we watch Air Canada cut routes due to an industry-wide shortage of pilots, we encourage them to close the growing wage gap between Canada and the United States,” said Charlene Hudy, chair of the Air Canada Master Executive Council, in a statement on Tuesday.

The union says pilots will organize an “informational picket” at Pearson’s Terminal One with the backing of pilots from other airlines. The agreement soon to be expired guaranteed annual hikes of around 2 percent.

A statement issued by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) said that Air Canada’s pilots are united in their pursuit of a collective agreement and that it should reflect “today’s world and addresses career progression, job security, [and] aviation safety.” Most important, it said, was to close “the growing wage gap between the United States and Canada to continue to attract the best pilots in the industry.”

The decision to protest was made in the midst of widespread strike activity in North America, where workers from many industries are demanding higher pay and benefits in light of the competitive job market and persistently increasing inflation.

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The ALPA, which represents more than 5,000 Air Canada pilots, has committed to close the pay disparity with American flight crews. Since U.S. carriers are paying more due to a labour shortage brought on by the epidemic, Canadian pilots are applying for positions across the border.

Due to the pilot shortage, Air Canada has mostly cut back on its schedule in Western Canada. In comparison to the same month in 2022, the carrier has decreased the number of seats leaving Calgary for November by 27 percent. According to Cirium, an aviation data business, Regina has seen a reduction of 43 percent while Fort McMurray, Alberta, has seen a reduction of 27 percent, the Globe and Mail reported.

Air Canada pilots terminated their nine-year labour agreement signed in 2014 with the airline in an effort to renegotiate a better contract beginning this summer. Prior to the picket, the airline company stated Sept. 26 that its contract with ALPA’s terms is still in force.

In a post to X, formerly known as Twitter, ALPA announced its informational picket and asked members of the public to show their support.

“It is time to fix the #PilotPayShortage and get the #WorldClassContract Air Canada pilots deserve,” the post said.