**Global Times Comprehensive Report**
The flight attendants of a Canadian airline launched an organized strike on the early morning of the 16th local time. As the largest airline in Canada, this strike led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights by the airline.
According to a report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) on the 17th, in recent labor negotiations, Air Canada flight attendants advocated for higher wages, especially compensation for “unpaid work periods.” Like most North American airlines, Air Canada only counts labor compensation during flight hours, but the flight attendants’ work before takeoff and after landing is not included in the paid hours. The employer has expressed willingness to increase the total compensation of flight attendants by 38% over four years, with a 25% increase in the first year. However, the union believes that this plan is “below inflation level and market value, even below minimum wage standards.” The negotiations ultimately broke down, leading to a formal strike by approximately 10,000 flight attendants on the 16th.
According to the Toronto City News, despite the Public Employees Union (CUPE), which led the negotiations, having issued a 72-hour notice and the airline gradually reducing its services since the 14th, this major strike still disrupted many travelers’ plans. The report stated that Air Canada operates 700 flights daily, and the停运is expected to affect the normal travel of 130,000 passengers, with approximately 25,000 Canadians potentially stranded abroad.
In Ontario on the 16th, many passengers, despite having received advance notice of flight cancellations, still traveled to Pearson International Airport “to see if they could get lucky” and find alternative travel arrangements. A passenger named Tania stated that her family was stranded in Toronto, “The airline staff not only failed to provide any alternative options but also kept shifting the blame.”
The BBC reported that it is uncertain how long the Air Canada strike will last. In September 1998, an Air Canada pilot strike lasted for 13 days and caused huge losses to the company. In order to shorten the duration of the strike and reduce its impact, the Canadian federal government intervened strongly just hours after the start of the strike. On the 16th, Canadian Employment Minister Heydu invoked relevant legal provisions requiring both labor and management to enter mandatory arbitration in order to resume operations as soon as possible. However, this move is unfavorable to workers, and CUPE slammed the government for violating the constitution and “setting a terrible precedent.” Shannon Marion, a flight attendant participating in the strike, expressed that their negotiating rights were being denied, “I am very disappointed. Politicians only stand on the side of the people during election time, but once they are elected, they stand on the side of big companies.” (Reported by Liu Haoran)