Did you know flight attendants in Canada work for an average of 35 hours for free every month?

Because airlines don’t pay flight attendants for duties like assisting passengers with boarding, pre-flight safety checks, deplaning, and other delays, flight attendants spend nearly a full workweek every month working for free. Even though they’re on the job in uniform and taking responsibility for the safety and well-being of their passengers. In Canada. In 2024.

Think that’s messed up? So do we. And our CEO doesn't think it is appropriate to comment on this. Add your voice to tell the federal government and the big airlines: unpaid work won’t fly!

https://unpaidworkwontfly.ca/

CUPE, the union representing 18,500 flight attendants nationwide, is applauding an NDP bill that would end the abuse of unpaid work in the airline sector. As it currently stands, most airlines in Canada only pay flight attendants when aircraft are in motion, leaving flight attendants performing an average of 35 hours of unpaid work every month, much of it safety-related.

Bill C-415, tabled Oct. 21, NDP MP Bonita Zarrillo, would require airlines to pay flight attendants their full rate of pay for all hours worked. Several CUPE members from the airline sector were on hand to support the tabling of the legislation in the House of Commons.

“Canada’s flight attendants have been sounding the alarm about the abuse of unpaid work in our industry, and we applaud the NDP for answering the call with this legislation,” said Wesley Lesosky, an Air Canada flight attendant and President of CUPE’s Airline Division. “We’re calling on the government and other opposition parties to back this NDP bill that sets the standard for what flight attendants need going forward, and get it passed before the next election.”

In 2023, CUPE’s Airline Division launched the Unpaid Work Won’t Fly campaign, which has been raising awareness about unfair working conditions in the industry.

“For decades, our employers have tried to convince us that the practice of forcing employees to perform hours and hours of free work is normal because that’s just the way it’s always been,” said Rena Kisfalvi, a Sunwing flight attendant and Secretary-Treasurer of CUPE’s Airline Division. ” Well, those days are over. We simply won’t accept it any longer.”

An onboard crew break is the time allocated to eat meals and/or relax during the flight.

As of June 4, 2024, due to changes to the Canada Labour Code, employees are entitled to a break of 30 minutes during every period of 5 consecutive hours of work. The break can be divided into two periods of 15 minutes. Existing standards regarding onboard breaks (e.g., when/where they can be taken) apply to these breaks.

Please note that this new legislative change will only apply to flights that do not have crew rest already provided for under the Collective Agreement.

The legislative changes allow Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge to split the breaks into two 15-minute periods if you are not able to take a 30-minute break.



This is a minimum standard, as per the Canada Labour Code, and every effort should be made to take your break, the reality being this may be a challenge due to service guidelines and staffing levels onboard.

The Component has set up a form (https://accomponent.ca/crew-break-concerns/) for you to report the inability to take your break, please report all compliance issues here

NEW EMAIL ADDRESS : pbsyyz@local4092.ca.

Please include your proper name, employee number, and a telephone number in your email so we may call you if needed.

Stay safe and healthy,

Claudia, Lynda, Lynne and Roger

Click here for PBS training videos.

Click here for the 2024 block months.

You are entitled to take your onboard crew rest, Please report to the Company and the union if you are unable to complete service and/ or schedule sufficient crew rest on long range flights. Please give us a schedule of how long the service took and and any further details on flight, such as equipment failures that prolonged service, turblence, passenger issues, medicals, crew complement, etc.

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LOU28 - CREW BREAKS
Flights scheduled or re-forecasted on day of departure of 7:01hrs-8:00hrs gate to gate

Cabin Crew may sleep for up to one (1) hour
Cabin Crew may sleep in last sold seats if available
If Crew Rest Unit (CRU) is available crew may only sleep in the CRU/OFAR
The service sequence may not be modified
Bunk kits will not be provisioned on aircraft with a CRU/OFAR


Flights scheduled or re-forecasted on day of departure of 8:01hrs-11:29hrs gate to gate

Cabin Crew may sleep for one (1) hour
Cabin Crew may sleep in last sold seats if available
If Crew Rest Unit (CRU) is available crew may only sleep in the CRU/OFAR
The service sequence may be modified to provide the crew their full break period
Bunk kits will be provisioned on aircraft with a CRU/OFAR for the flight(s) within the pairing that are 8:01hrs-11:29hrs

LOU 61
On A330 and A321XLR non-crew bunk equipped aircraft operating flights which have a
scheduled block to block flight time of greater than 7:30 hours but less than 11:30
hours, the Company will dedicate a bank of economy class seats for crew rest
purposes. The location of these seats will be determined by the Company.
Cabin Personnel may sleep in the bank of dedicated economy class seats for a
maximum of one (1) hour per crew member.

The use of these seats to sleep shall not in any way interfere with cabin service.

No more than two (2) Cabin Personnel may sleep at any one time. The Company shall
use best efforts to install a curtain for privacy which, if installed, must be used by Cabin
Personnel when the seats are in use. Signs or makeshift curtains are not permitted.

Letters of Understanding 27 and 28 shall not apply when dedicated crew rest seats
have been provided in accordance with the foregoing.

LOU 61

B14, LOU18, LOU22A, LOU22B, LOU 60.04.06 - CREW REST

Rest periods have been negotiated for long range flying and are as follows:
– B14 two (2) hours of rest

– LOU18 a minimum of two and a half (2.5) hours of rest for a duty day up to 14:59hrs
LOU18 four (4) hours of rest for a duty day 15:00hrs or greater

– LOU22A four (4) hours of rest for a duty day up to 17:10hrs
LOU22A four and a half (4.5) hours for a duty day 17:11hrs or greater

– LOU22B five (5) hours of rest for a duty day up to 18:45hrs
– LOU22B five and a half (5.5) hours of rest for a duty day 18:46hrs or greater

The service specifications may be modified for crew to obtain their full contractual break/rest times. In such cases, the SD should submit an a report stating that the service sequence was modified so that the crew can obtain their contractual break/rest times.

Meal breaks are to be taken separately from the on board crew rest.
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The Company will designate the longe range flying article or LOU on a monthly basis before bidding closes. You can verify the designated article/LOU of each long range pairing in Aeronet:->Crew scheduling & planning ->Bidding tools and information ->Monthly duty summary or ->Monthly "whats new"


With the exception of (**) LOU28 flights of 7:01hrs-8:00hrs, the service specifications may need to be modified for crew to obtain their full contractual break/rest times. In such cases, the SD should submit an eOBR simply stating that the service sequence was modified so that the crew can obtain their contractual break/rest times. Ensure to share this OBR with your local union office. If there is a manager onboard, report this service modification to them.
If you are told anything different in respect to contractual crew rest by an Air Canada manager, please share this information with your local union.

For other types of flying, your break time is as follows from the Canada Labour Code.

Break

169.1 (1) Every employee is entitled to and shall be granted an unpaid break of at least 30 minutes during every period of five consecutive hours of work. If the employer requires the employee to be at their disposal during the break period, the employee must be paid for the break.
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Crew Bunk Kits


YYC
Bunk kits will be provisioned (outbound only) in YYC for flights to LHR
and bunk kits will be provisioned in LHR for flights to YYC

YVR
Bunk kits will be provisioned (outbound only) in YVR for flights to LHR
and bunk kits will be provisioned in LHR for flights to YVR

YYZ
Bunk kits will be provisioned in LHR for the LHR-BOM flights
Bunk kits will be provisioned in BOM for the BOM-LHR flights