The following press release was issued yesterday:

Air Canada pandemic bonus scheme is shameless, morally bankrupt: CUPE

The union representing flight attendants at Air Canada says the company’s decision to pay out lavish executive bonuses while lobbying for a bailout and laying off tens of thousands of workers is shameless and morally bankrupt.

“Paying out millions in executive bonuses while they kick their workers to the curb and ask the taxpayer to bail them out isn’t just wrong, it’s morally bankrupt,” said Mark Hancock, National President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). “This company has been taking the federal government for a ride and it’s our members and the Canadian public who are paying the price. It’s long past time for Justin Trudeau to get a grip on this situation.”

It was revealed Monday that Air Canada’s top executives and managers had received $10 million of COVID-19-specific bonuses and special share purchase options in 2020, even as the company laid off tens of thousands of workers, denied them access to the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), and then lobbied the federal government successfully for a $5.9 billion aid package.

“This has been a long and difficult year for our members, but this truly feels like we’re being kicked when we’re already down,” said Wesley Lesosky, President of the Air Canada Component of CUPE. “Our employer turned their back on us, they refused to give us the lifeline the government offered through CEWS, and then they lined their own pockets. It’s just shameless. What makes it even worse is the federal government has just sat there and let it all happen.”

CUPE represents approximately 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, the vast majority of whom have been laid off since the pandemic grounded most flights in March 2020.

In Solidarity,

Wesley Lesosky
President, Air Canada Component of CUPE

The following press release was issued today:

On International Flight Attendant Day, CUPE flight attendants ask: what is the Trudeau government’s plan to safely reopen the aviation sector?

VANCOUVER – On International Flight Attendant Day, Canada’s flight attendant union is calling on the federal government to come forward with a plan to safely reopen the industry, which has been decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Workers deserve to hear how and when the Trudeau government will help our battered industry rebound,” said Wesley Lesosky, President of CUPE’s Airline Division, which represents 15,000 flight attendants at nine Canadian airlines. The majority of CUPE’s members in the airline industry have been laid off since the pandemic grounded most flights in March 2020.

For its part, CUPE believes COVID-19 safety protocols, including provision of PPE, adherence to ventilation controls, and mandatory masking for passengers and crew should continue until all cabin crew have had the opportunity to be fully immunized, and until senior public health officials declare the pandemic is over.

CUPE continues to support pre-boarding rapid testing as one of the best ways to create a safe cabin environment for crew and passengers. However, research and real-world evidence clearly show that pre-boarding temperature screening is ineffective at detecting COVID-19 positive cases, and should be abandoned.

“We acknowledge the rules and public health concerns vary from province to province,” added Lesosky. “That’s why we’re calling on the federal government to show leadership and begin charting a path alongside other levels of government, in order to begin safely reconnecting our communities and bringing back good jobs in this industry.”

In Solidarity,

Wesley Lesosky
President, Air Canada Component of CUPE