Earlier this week negotiations between Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the union representing the carrier’s 10,000 flight attendants, broke down. In preparation for a strike, the carrier began to wind down operations before ultimately ceasing on August 16, 2025.
Less than 12 hours after the shutdown began, flight attendants were forced to return to work via a government order. However, it doesn’t appear that union members have any intention of returning to the skies soon.
CUPE Members Will Defy Return to Work Order
On Saturday, August 16, 2025, Patty Hadju, the Canadian Minister of Jobs and Families, ordered Air Canada and VUPE into binding arbitration. The order also required union members to return to work in order to restart operations.
Unsurprisingly, the union didn’t take too kindly to this order and has publicly stated that it will defy the return to work order. Because of this, Air Canada has suspended plans to restart operations.
There is currently no timetable for the resumption of Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flights. Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz and PAL Airlines continue to operate as scheduled.
The Public Overwhelmingly Supports the Flight Attendants
Air Canada has been fighting, and losing, its battle with the flight attendants union in the court of public opinion. The Canadian flag carrier has attempted to paint the flight attendants as selfish and blaming them for the suspension of operations.
The Canadian public seems squarely behind CUPE members. According to the union, 88% of Canadians support the flight attendants in their battle with the carrier. Wesley Lesosky, President of the Air Canada Component of CUPE, said this about the ongoing dispute:
“Despite Air Canada’s campaign of half-truths against their cabin crew, Canadians clearly stand on the side of fairness – with flight attendants. Air Canada wants to force flight attendants to continue working for free, and reinforce the gender wage gap for our female-dominated workforce, and they want the federal government to help them do it. It’s clear where Canadians stand. Minister Hajdu must stand on the side of workers’ rights and fairness, and reject Air Canada’s request to trample our Charter rights to bargain an end to unpaid work.”
It will be interesting to see how long it takes for this dispute to be resolved but, for the time being, Air Canada appears to be conducting a masterclass in what not to do to garner support during a labor dispute.
Summary
Air Canada flight attendants have been ordered back to work amid an ongoing labor dispute with the airline. The two sides have been forced into binding arbitration though the union is encouraging members not to return to work. Because of this, Air Canada has no timeline to restart operations and the Canadian public appears to be fully backing the union.