Cargo affected by looming Air Canada work stoppage

A potential strike by Air Canada pilots — or lockout by management — could affect cargo shipments as early as tomorrow, Sept. 12, if a deal is not reached. [caption id="attachment_83244" align="alignright" width="300"] (Courtesy/Air Canada)[/caption] Air Canada could suspend all operations by Sept. 15 if a deal with its pilots is not reached by then, though the carrier’s cargo operations will not accept bookings for specialty cargo after Sept. 12, according to the airline and the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), which represents more than 5,000 Air Canada pilots. Live animal cargo transport bookings were no longer being accepted as of Sept. 10, the airline said in a Sept. 4 alert. It also said that shipments of fresh produce and pharmaceuticals into or out of Canada and from Latin America to Europe must be accepted at least 12 hours before departure and must arrive at their destination by Sept. 17. If a deal is not reached by Sept. 15, the airline or ALPA can issue a 72-hour lockout or strike notice to enter a wind down period, according to Air Canada . “The pilot strike will affect both passenger traffic and air cargo,” Frederic Dimanche, d irector of the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Toronto Metropolitan University , told Air Cargo Next . “Cargo disruption has the potential to affect Canadians all over the country. Many supplies and deliveries go through the air — not only rail — and the food supply, for example, may be seriously affected.” Disruption of delivery of perishable and non-perishable goods, components for manufacturers, and other products may affect consumers and the economy, he said. "Air Canada believes there is still time to reach an agreement with our pilot group, provided ALPA moderates its wage demands, which far exceed average Canadian wage increases,” Michael Rousseau , president and chief executive at Air Canada , said in a Sept. 9 statement. “However, Canadians have recently seen the chaos abrupt airline shutdowns cause for travelers, which obliges us to do everything we can to protect our customers from an increasingly likely work stoppage.” Avoiding strike Talks between the carrier and ALPA continue, “but the parties remain far apart,” the airline said in a statement. Air Canada pilots are working under a contract negotiated in 2014, according to ALPA. Negotiations for a new contract began in June 2023 and went into private mediation in January, the union said in an August statement. In an August vote, 98% of voting members approved a strike, according to ALPA. The airline’s “pilots are looking at retirement benefits, scheduling benefits and, of course, increased salaries,” Dimanche said. “Recent negotiations have led some American airlines to increase pilot salaries by up to 40%. Canadian pilots fly the same planes, on similar routes, so they feel that their activity is comparable to that of American pilots. “Everyone is hoping for a resolution that will satisfy all parties,” he said. “Both parties may have to make some compromises to achieve an agreement and to avoid a general strike that would be hurtful for the airline, both financially and in terms of reputation, which is already quite low.” When no agreement materialized over the summer, Air Canada pilots filed a dispute with the union, ALPA said in the statement. “Air Canada pilots are prepared for any outcome, thanks in large part to a $5 million grant from their union’s war chest, which was unanimously authorized by ALPA’s executive board to support contract negotiations in this final stage,” according to the ALPA statement. The pilots are hopeful a strike can be avoided, First Officer Charlene Hudy , chairperson of the Air Canada ALPA Master Executive Council, said in the statement. “Air Canada management has the power — and the resources — to avoid a strike, flight disruptions and lasting damage to its brand,” she said. “All they have to do is recognize the value of their employees.” Air Canada is No. 36 on Air Cargo Next ’s Freight 50 list of top cargo carriers, flying 1.9 million cargo tonne kilometers in 2022.

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