Air Canada reaches settlement with union and will gradually resume operations

Air Canada stated that it will now begin to gradually restart operations after reaching an agreement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). On Aug. 13, CUPE issued a 72-hour strike notice to Air Canada after months of being unable to reach a tentative agreement for the company's 10,000 flight attendants. Air Canada issued a Lockout notice in response and grounded all of its aircraft. On Aug. 18, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) declared the strike unlawful and ordered CUPE leadership to direct the flight attendants back to work. The workers did not return and flights were cancelled until 4 p.m. on Aug. 19. Air Canada reports that an estimated 500,000 customers' flights were disrupted during the strike. "The suspension of our service is extremely difficult for our customers," said Michael Rousseau, president and CEO of Air Canada. "We deeply regret and apologize for the impact on them of this labour disruption. Our priority now is to get them moving as quickly as possible. Restarting a major carrier like Air Canada is a complex undertaking. Full restoration may require a week or more, so we ask for our customers' patience and understanding over the coming days. I assure them that everyone at Air Canada is doing everything possible to enable them to travel soon."RELATED STORIES:IAM Union Members end strike after ratifying new agreement with Pratt andamp; Whitney3,000 Pratt andamp; Whitney machinists on strike in Connecticut The agreement process was overseen by a mutually agreed-upon mediator, William Kaplan. All flight attendants were immediately instructed to return to work, as the company attempts to stabilize its flight schedule. During this process, some flights will be cancelled over the next seven to ten days. Air Canada states that only customers with confirmed bookings whose flights are shown as operating should go to the airport. Customers with cancelled flights can choose between a full refund, credit for future travel or rebooking on another air, though capacity is currently limited due to the summer season. Air Canada can not comment on the agreement until the ratification process is complete.