TORONTO — Air Canada pilots have voted in favour to authorize union leaders to call a strike.

With 98% of members participating, 98% of Air Canada pilots voted in favour of job action, if necessary, to achieve a new contractual agreement with Air Canada, according to the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA).

Negotiations for a new agreement began in June 2023. Talks entered private mediation in January 2024 and lasted until June 2024, at which point the union decided to file a notice of dispute and enter conciliation because the two sides were unable to reach a new collective agreement.

“Today, more than 5,400 Air Canada pilots sent a clear message to management that we are willing to go the distance to secure a contract that reflects the value we bring to Air Canada,” said First Officer Charlene Hudy, chair of the Air Canada ALPA Master Executive Council.

“Our goal is to avoid a strike, and our focus remains on modernizing our contract for Air Canada pilots. However, management continues to force us closer to a strike position by not listening to our needs at the negotiating table regarding fair compensation, respectable retirement benefits, and quality-of-life improvements. After more than a year of negotiations, management must now come to the realization that if they fail to reach an agreement, they will be responsible for us withdrawing our services.”

Hudy added: “Air Canada pilots are committed to avoiding a strike and the flight disruptions that would follow, and that’s why we continue to negotiate in good faith.”

Air Canada pilots will be in a legal position to commence job action as early as mid-September if no agreement has been reached by the end of the cooling-off period.