The latest tentative agreement vote by Air Canada’s 10,000 flight attendants, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees’ Air Canada component (CUPE), doesn’t mean strike action, Air Canada has confirmed.

As first reported on September 2, there will be no strike or lockout as a result of the voting results, said the airline.

The vote wrapped up as expected on September 6, with 99.1% voting down the airline’s wage offer.

Air Canada noted that the tentative agreement was achieved without concessions from the union and included improvements to wages, pensions and benefits, while also including a mutually agreed-to modernization of compensation for work performed on the ground.

After CUPE announced that the tentative agreement was not ratified by union members, Air Canada posted its own update. “Air Canada and CUPE contemplated this potential outcome and mutually agreed that if the tentative agreement was not ratified, the wage portion would be referred to mediation and, if no agreement was reached at that stage, to arbitration. The parties also agreed that no labour disruption could be initiated, and therefore there will be no strike or lock-out, and flights will continue to operate.”

Air Canada added that it is fully committed to the mediation and arbitration process. The three-day strike ended August 19.

“The negotiations period has been challenging for all Air Canada stakeholders. We deeply appreciate the patience and the confidence our customers have shown as we worked through this process. We thank all of our employees for their dedication during this time,” said the airline.

Source: Travelweek