Air Line Pilots Association Welcomes Air Canada Pilots Onboard

Air Canada Pilots Association and Air Line Pilots Association have completed their merger.

Air Canada Pilots voted in favour of the merger earlier this month. ALPA, the largest pilot union in the world, represents 40 pilot groups throughout North America.

Air Canada Pilots Join ALPA

ALPA's Executive Board approved a merger between the union of Air Canada pilots and ALPA. Following an agreement in principal reached in March, more than 84% eligible Air Canada Pilots voted to join ALPA on 1st May. The merger will take effect immediately, and ALPA will grow to more than 73,000 pilots. Air Canada becomes the union's fortyth group.

Capt. ALPA President Jason Ambrosi commented:

"We are excited to welcome our colleagues at Air Canada to ALPA, and through this merger, we have reached another significant milestone in our work to advance the profession, keep flying safe, and promote the power of unionism. Together, our combined union will have greater strength in negotiating collective agreements, advancing pilots' interests, and protecting labor rights."

Air Canada is Canada's largest and flag carrier airline, employing over 4,500 pilots. Air Transat and Flair Airlines are ALPA members as well, making Air Canada the largest airline in Canada.

Summer bargaining

Air Canada's pilots are ready to negotiate with the airline as their 10-year contract is about to expire. Air Canada's pilots are seeking "historical" pay increases to reflect their value.

Air Canada Pilots Association, in a letter seen on Reuters' website, said:

"Pilots at Air Canada are working at a steep discount compared to our North American competitors. Our membership will not accept concessions and expects the next agreement to be historic in terms of gains."

The pilots will have to decide by May 29th whether they want to remain within the framework of an agreement from 2014 or invoke a clause to trigger full negotiations in the summer. ACPA had previously stated that it was willing to stay within the framework if Air Canada made a "substantial offer."

Air Canada announced its first quarter results this week. The company reported a doubled passenger revenue and losses that were significantly lower at CA$17 ($12.4M) than the CA$550 ($406M) in Q1 2020.

ALPA was founded in 1931 and is the largest association of pilots in the world. It represents more than 73,000 pilots in 40 airlines across the US and Canada including Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines.

Capt. Tim Perry, ALPA Canada president, added,

"ALPA is committed to advancing the profession and aviation safety, and with the addition of our Air Canada colleagues, we have dramatically increased ALPA's presence across the nation, making us stronger in negotiations and on Parliament Hill."

In the last year, several of the union's groups of pilots have been able to secure improved contracts, thanks in part to the pilot shortage that has made their services more valuable. Delta pilots approved in March a four-year contract that grants up to 34% increase, valued at $7 billion. This will be a benchmark when other airlines negotiate.

Source: simpleflying.com