Air Canada’s Built-In Wage Theft
Air Canada flight attendants aren’t just not handing out peanuts; they’re staging a strike that exposes one of the biggest scams in Canadian labour. Flight attendants are only paid from the time the aircraft doors close until they open again. Everything else, including boarding, deplaning, delays on the tarmac, cleaning, prepping, and waiting, is unpaid. It all adds up to about 35 hours a month of stolen time. That’s not volunteering. That’s not “just part of the job.” That’s wage theft built into the system.
Profits for Air Canada, Free Work for Staff
And the system works very well – for Air Canada. Last year, the airline pocketed 2.3 billion dollars in profit. Executives and shareholders are swimming in cash, but the people who make the airline function are forced to work the equivalent of a free week every month. The attendants finally said enough, went on strike, and what did Ottawa do? Rush in with a back-to-work order. Not to protect workers, but to protect commerce. It’s funny how the government can move faster than a jet when corporate profits are at risk, but when it comes to regular people waiting on health care or housing, it’s suddenly stuck in economy class.
If Other Jobs Worked Like This…
To understand how absurd this setup is, imagine the Air Canada system applied to other jobs. A barista would only get paid while you’re actually drinking the coffee in-store, not for grinding beans, steaming milk, or cleaning up after you. A server would only get paid while your plate is sitting on your table, not for taking your order, running to the kitchen, or scrubbing the ketchup explosion in booth seven. A nurse would only get paid while pressing a stethoscope to your chest, not for charting, prepping, or explaining your meds. You’d call it a scam. But for flight attendants, it’s standard practice.
Back to Work? Make It With Peanuts of Protest!
And since they’re being forced back to work, why not spice things up? Picture Air Canada attendants showing up in slippers and neon socks, greeting passengers with sarcastic over-politeness. “Welcome aboard this fine example of legalized wage theft. Please enjoy your flight, which is sponsored by our unpaid labour.” Imagine the safety demo performed as slam poetry. Or the snack cart rolling down the aisle stocked with “complimentary peanuts of protest.” Passengers might laugh, but they’d get the point.
This Fight Is About Money, Not Peanuts
Because here’s the truth: this fight isn’t about dignity in the abstract, it’s about money. If you work for a salary, you should be paid. Every job, every hour, every task. Air Canada’s flight attendants aren’t asking for luxuries. They’re asking to be paid for the work they already do.
If that sounds radical, try giving away a week of your own time every month and see how good that feels.
