Air Canada and the union representing its flight attendants have reached a tentative deal to end a strike that began on Saturday morning.
The airline said it will gradually begin operations Tuesday.
The two sides met through the night with a federal mediator before reaching a tentative agreement that will be brought to more than 10,000 members of the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
In a statement, the union said the tentative deal would end the practice of unpaid work by flight attendants when airplanes aren't in the air. It added the agreement also achieves "transformational change for our industry after a historic fight to affirm our charter rights."
"Your right to vote on your wages was preserved," the union said in a post on its website announcing the end of the strike.
The union also said it must advise members to "fully co-operate with resumption of operations."
Air Canada said the first flights are scheduled for Tuesday evening, but cautioned that the return to full, regular service may require seven to 10 days as aircraft and crew are out of position. Some flights will continue to be cancelled until the schedule is stabilized.
"Only customers with confirmed bookings whose flights are shown as operating should go to the airport," the airline said.
Air Canada said it will offer options to those with cancelled flights, including a full refund or receiving a credit for future travel. It will also offer to rebook customers on other airlines where possible.
The federal government intervened in the strike on Saturday morning, invoking Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to force the Montreal-based airline and the union into binding arbitration. The Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered flight attendants to return to work Sunday.
That order was defied by union officials, leading the board to state Monday that the strike was unlawful even as the union said it would press ahead. The board ordered the union to stand down and publicly tell its members to do the same by noon ET Monday, which the union didn't do.
CUPE national president Mark Hancock had said union leaders were all-in on pushing for a negotiated deal.
"If it means folks like me going to jail, then so be it. If it means our union being fined, then so be it," he told reporters Monday.
"We're looking for a solution here, our members want a solution here. But that solution has to be found at a bargaining table."
CUPE said meetings with the airline resumed Monday evening after the company reached out.
The two sides struck a deal shortly before 4:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday.
The Canadian Labour Congress said Air Canada flight attendants "delivered a decisive blow to employers who think they can sidestep fair bargaining by hiding behind Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code."
"The outcome makes one thing clear: Section 107 is no longer a reliable weapon for employers," it said in a press release.
"By refusing to bow to government interference, CUPE flight attendants exposed Section 107 for what it is: an unconstitutional violation of workers' Charter-protected right to free and fair collective bargaining. Any employer thinking of leaning on Section 107 in the future should think twice — it's a crutch that just snapped."
Air Canada had estimated Monday that some 500,000 customers’ flights had been cancelled since the strike began.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
