‘Until the bitter end’: striking Air Canada Stewardessen Defiant on Halifax Picket Line

Air Canada Stewardessen remained challenging on the picket line on Monday at Halifax Stanfield International Airport after the Canada Industrial Relations Board considered the national strike illegally.

Dozens of striking workers, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees, shouted songs outside the airport, including “Poverty Correction, UN-CANADEES” and “Negotiation, not legislative.”

She referred to the rapid intervention of Ottawa in the labor conflict on Saturday, after which the Federal Labor Relations Board ordered the airline and its stewardesses again to go back to work.

Stewardesses were shocked and disappointed by the move, said Lisa Vivian Macdonald, captain of Halifax Strike Picket.

“But I think we were galvanized too,” said MacDonald.

One of the most important problems for the striking employees is unpaid work for tasks before and after the flight.

MacDonald, who has been a disputed flight attendant to Air Canada for 28 years, said that flight attendants are professionals, such as paramedics or firefighters.

“A fireman is not paid only when they have a fire hose,” said MacDonald. “They are paid from the moment they start their service, and we want that too.”

Air Canada has proposed to pay 50 percent of the stewardess wages for work that is done when planes are not in the air. The union is looking for full wage.

According to the airport website, at least a dozen Air Canada flights from Halifax Stanfield were canceled.

Freya Hoffmeister had bypassed North -America in a Zeekayak and would start the trip to Germany. But her flight to the London airport Heathrow has been postponed until now until Thursday.

“I would like to be at home after being on the water for 3½ months,” she said.

Hoffmeister discovered that her flight was canceled on Sunday evening.

In one rack Released on Monday, Air Canada said that the airline has canceled flights on roles and that “all flights are canceled by Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge” until 17.00 on 19 August.

Air Canada Express flights managed by Jazz or Pal will continue as normal.

In a separate rackAir Canada said it is committed to being back in service as quickly as possible and that it regrets the impact on customers.

MacDonald said she and her colleagues have the appetite to maintain the strike.

“We will only fall if our union tells us to give up,” she said. “We will be here until the bitter end.”