stockwatch.com NP says Air Canada pilots earn up to $350,000 a year
2024-08-27 09:09 ET - In the News
The National Post reports in its Tuesday edition that pilots at Air Canada could walk off the job as early as Sept. 17, after 98 per cent voted in favour of giving their union a strike mandate. The Post's Chris Knight reports that Charlene Hudy, head of the Air Canada contingent of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), said wages are a major issue for the membership. Last year, WestJet agreed a contract that included a 24-per-cent compensation bump over four years. Over the past year and a half, new contracts have been signed between the four biggest U.S. airlines and their pilots, meaning some of those workers now make roughly double what Air Canada pilots are earning. In a statement, Air Canada downplayed the strike vote, saying, "Such a vote is a normal step in a negotiation process and does not mean that any disruption will take place." Air Canada's pilots would have to give 72 hours notice before beginning a strike action. According to ALPA, a strike would ground 1,000 flights a day, and affect more than 120,000 each day. Air Canada says the captain of a narrow-body (single aisle) aircraft can make $215,000 to $290,000 a year, while a wide-body captain can earn $315,000 to $350,000 plus overtime and expenses.