(Reuters) – Air Canada said on Wednesday it will operate the airline as usual when its pilots conduct an informational picket at the company’s main hub, the Pearson International Airport, on Friday.
Canadian pilots are pressing for higher salaries and better scheduling after U.S. counterparts at companies including Delta Air Lines and American Airlines made big gains in deals struck over the last few months.
“As we watch Air Canada cut routes due to an industry-wide shortage of pilots, we encourage them to close the growing wage gap between Canada and the United States,” said Charlene Hudy, chair of the Air Canada Master Executive Council, in a statement on Tuesday.
The move also comes amid wider strike action in North America that has seen workers across industries demand better pay and benefits in a tight labor market and as inflation stays high.
Air Canada’s estimated 4,500 pilots have received a 2% wage increase per year since 2014. The country’s inflation rate was running at 4.3% in March, a 19-month low.
The pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) union, began bargaining for new labor terms this summer, before the end of their decade-long contract.
The company said on Wednesday its contract with ALPA’s provisions remains in effect ahead of the picket.
The union had a May deadline for using a type of escape clause that would allow for negotiations this year. The agreement now runs until Sept. 29, although its provisions will apply beyond that date.
(Reporting by Ananta Agarwal in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
