Air Canada and the International Association of Mechanics and Space Workers (IAMAW), representing 11,000 employees in technical, ground, and financial roles, recently announced a preliminary agreement on a new round of collective bargaining negotiations.
The union described the agreement as “historic” and promising a landmark wage to increase for its members. The new agreement covers employees in several key positions, including aircraft maintenance, cabin service, airport ground staff, cargo, finance, and clerical work. The details of the agreement have not yet been made public. The union will organize a vote among its members to decide whether to approve it, with the vote expected to be completed in the coming weeks.
Air Canada’s board of directors will also need to approve it subsequently. On February 3rd of this year, the two sides began a new round of negotiations, the overall process of which was described as “constructive.” Some experts believe that federal political and public pressure made it difficult for Air Canada to refuse the agreement, prompting it to make significant concessions on employee wages, including those of pilots.
For Chinese passengers who frequently fly with Air Canada and Chinese employees working for Air Canada, this agreement means that frontline service and back-end support teams will receive better treatment, which is expected to improve the overall service level.