Sunday, August 24, 2025 - Air Canada Strike and what labor can win
Update: 2025-08-24
Description
Guest: Barry Eidlin
Labor sociologist Barry Eidlin returns to discuss the recent Air Canada strike, which has now reached a tentative agreement. The strike began when 10,000 flight attendants, organized in the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), walked off the job on August 16, after months of failed negotiations. The Canadian government responded with its usual move: a back-to-work under Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code—a provision that ostensibly regulates strikes, but is instead used to short-circuit them. But this time, something unusual happened: the workers defied the order, chanting “Forced to fly? We won’t comply!”
After an all-night bargaining session, they secured a tentative settlement on August 19th — showing what labor can do when it doesn’t back down.
We talk about the strike, the government response, its outcome and what it portends. We’ll also talk about the differences between Canadian and US labor law, strike outcomes and public policy.
Labor sociologist Barry Eidlin returns to discuss the recent Air Canada strike, which has now reached a tentative agreement. The strike began when 10,000 flight attendants, organized in the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), walked off the job on August 16, after months of failed negotiations. The Canadian government responded with its usual move: a back-to-work under Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code—a provision that ostensibly regulates strikes, but is instead used to short-circuit them. But this time, something unusual happened: the workers defied the order, chanting “Forced to fly? We won’t comply!”
After an all-night bargaining session, they secured a tentative settlement on August 19th — showing what labor can do when it doesn’t back down.
We talk about the strike, the government response, its outcome and what it portends. We’ll also talk about the differences between Canadian and US labor law, strike outcomes and public policy.
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