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The union that represents Air Transat’s pilots said on Wednesday that its members have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike.
While the results give the pilot union’s governing body the authority to declare a strike as soon as Dec. 10, it is not in itself an immediate strike notice, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) said in a news release.
Air Transat stressed that this is a “common step in the collective bargaining process” and that operations were continuing as normal.
“The goal remains to negotiate a collective agreement that satisfies both parties, reflects market realities and those of the company, and recognizes the contribution of our pilots. We are confident that we will reach an agreement and thereby avoid any impact on our customers’ travel plans,” Air Transat said in a statement to CBC News.
Negotiations between ALPA and the airline began in January, three months before the collective agreement was set to expire.
A representative for the union said it is seeking a collective agreement that protects job security and improves “working conditions, compensation, and quality of life.” Over 99 per cent of the pilots who cast a ballot voted in favour of a strike if necessary, according to the union.
Passengers wait to check-in at Trudeau Airport on July 19, 2017 in Montreal. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)
The two parties left conciliation on Nov. 18. They are currently in a 21-day cooling-off period that ends on Dec. 10, according to the union.
“This vote sends an undeniable message to Air Transat management: We are unified, resolute and have earned a contract that reflects today’s industry standards, not the standards from 2015,” said Bradley Small, chair of the Air Transat ALPA master executive council, in a press release.
In an interview with CBC News, Small added that he thinks the current contract Air Transat pilots are working under is at the “bottom of the barrel,” compared to the agreements WestJet and Air Canada pilots have.
“We don’t want to strike, we want a fair deal for a modern contract,” Small said.
Last October, Air Canada pilots, who are also represented by the ALPA union, ratified a four-year collective agreement that increased their wages by about 42 per cent cumulatively. And in 2023, WestJet’s pilots negotiated a 24 per cent pay bump over four years, which experts said at the time set a new standard for labour gains in the aviation industry.
Karl Moore, airline expert and associate professor at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management, says the vote in favour of authorizing a strike isn’t a surprise because the threat of a strike over the holiday season — when airlines are at their busiest — is a good negotiating tactic.
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“It is the best time of year … from a revenue and a profitability viewpoint. So Air Transat will want to settle,” Moore said.
That said, a strike would also make life harder for pilots themselves and their families, so Moore says it’s in the best interest of both parties to avoid that outcome.
“My guess at this point is that [a strike] won’t happen, but I’ve been wrong before,” Moore said.
It’s also possible the federal government could step in with back-to-work legislation given the impact a strike would have on the economy (already struggling under U.S. tariffs) and Canadians’ travel schedules — especially since the government has recently stepped in to end other labour disputes, like one by Air Canada flight attendants earlier this year.
