Air Canada’s AC-T pilots have approved a collective agreement that provides raises of 42 per cent over four years, making them the country’s highest-paid flight crews.
The Air Line Pilots Association, which represents the carrier’s 5,200 pilots, said Thursday that 67 per cent of its members approved the contract, with 99 per cent voting.
The pilots will receive a 26-per-cent raise retroactive to September, 2023, when the previous contact expired, and then 4-per-cent annual raises in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
An Air Canada plane taxis down the runway at the Ottawa International Airport on Oct. 3, 2024. Unionized pilots of the airline have approved a new contract by a margin of 67 per cent.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Charlene Hudy, chair of the Air Canada union, acknowledged in a press conference that the contract is not perfect, as one-third of members rejected the deal. Senior pilots will benefit more than their junior counterparts from the improved wages and working conditions, she said, adding the union does not break down support for the deal by tenure.
“I can certainly appreciate that on the junior end of the pay scale, there are some places where, when we’re comparing ourselves to even some of our Canadian counterparts, it’s not exactly the same pay,” Ms. Hudy said.
“I am of the belief that as time goes on, the value that’s in this agreement will start to really show itself as well. And clearly, it also shows that there is still work to be done and improvements that can be made.
“The fight for better wages and working conditions when you’re a union member is a job that is never over.”
The contract – the first that Air Canada’s pilots negotiated under ALPA – replaces the previous 10-year agreement that included annual raises of 2 per cent.
Represented by a new union, the pilots pushed to narrow the pay gap with their U.S. counterparts and win better scheduling provisions.
“This agreement helps restore what Air Canada pilots have lost over the past two decades and creates a strong foundation from which to build on,” Ms. Hudy said.
Michael Rousseau, chief executive officer of Air Canada AC-T, said in a press release that the agreement is mutually beneficial, providing the highest pilot pay in the country while offering the desired work-life balances.
Pilot salaries in the second year of the agreement range from about $75,000 to $360,000, depending on seniority and aircraft.
Pilots at WestJet last year approved a four-year contract with a 24-per-cent raise. Crews at U.S. carriers Delta Air Lines and United Airlines voted for contracts with raises of 34 per cent and as much as 40 per cent.
Investors reacted to the ratification vote by driving up Air Canada’s share price by 5 per cent on the Toronto Stock Exchange, narrowing the year-to-date loss to 6 per cent.