Air Canada flight attendants defy back-to-work order, continue strike

Air Canada flight attendants are refusing to return to work despite a federal back-to-work order and binding arbitration imposed to end their strike, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said Sunday.

The union, which represents 10,000 flight attendants, accused federal Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu of bowing to pressure from the airline. “To legislate us back to work 12 hours after we started? I’m sorry, snowstorms have shut down Air Canada for longer than we were allowed to strike,” said Lillian Speedie, vice-president of CUPE Local 4092, speaking from a picket line outside Toronto Pearson International Airport.

The strike, which began early Saturday, prompted Air Canada to suspend all flights nationwide. On Sunday, the airline announced plans to gradually resume operations, warning it would take several days before schedules return to normal.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) has ordered flight attendants back on duty by 2 p.m. ET Sunday and extended the terms of the previous collective agreement—set to expire March 31—until a new deal is reached.

Hajdu defended the intervention at a news conference in Ottawa, saying she directed the CIRB to act “to secure industrial peace and protect the interests of Canada, Canadians, and the economy.” The federal government invoked Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code, which allows ministerial action in labor disputes, after Air Canada requested assistance.

CUPE has vowed to continue resisting the order, leaving uncertainty over how quickly Air Canada can restore full service.