Air Canada suspends restart plans after union defies return to work order

['The Associated Press', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus', 'Display Inline', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Where Img', 'Height Auto Max-Width', 'Vertical-Align Bottom .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar', 'Vertical-Align Middle .Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Avatar Is .Alignleft .Alignright'] TPR: The Public's Radio 2025-08-17 18:38:41

An Air Canada agent, left, talks with a man as Air Canada flight attendants strike at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025. (Graham Hughes | The Canadian Press/AP)TORONTO — Air Canada said it suspended plans to restart operations on Sunday after the union representing 10,000 flight attendants said it will defy a return to work order. Government forces Air Canada flight attendants back to work, into arbitration Canada’s government forced Air Canada and its striking flight attendants back to work and into arbitration Saturday after a work stoppage stranded more than 100,000 travelers around the world. Around the same time, Air Canada said it would begin locking flight attendants out of airports. Air Canada and CUPE have been in contract talks for about eight months, but they have yet to reach a tentative deal.