Air Canada narrowly averted a pilots’ strike Saturday. The airline and the Air Line Pilots Association announced a tentative deal for wage increases of about 42% over four years, and that prevented the issuance of strike notice on Sunday. The deal seems to be in line with union demands, although there have been rumblings of discontent among some pilots. Air Canada pilot group forums representing senior pilots have been conducting straw polls, and while they’re far from scientific they do seem to be overwhelmingly against acceptance of the offer.
The 5,200 pilots will vote over the next month on whether to accept the deal. In addition to the wage offer, Air Canada sweetened its offers for retirement and work rules and that clinched the deal. The airline was set to start canceling flights Sunday in preparation for a full shutdown on Wednesday, but there was no disruption to the schedule. The airline has 670 flights a day.
