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Air Canada flight attendants have approved a strike order

Air Canada flight attendants voted 99.7% for strike action, their union announced on Tuesday. This could mean that they can walk off the job this month.

In a statement, the Canadian Union of Public Employees announced that it may give a 72 hour strike notice as soon as 16 August after negotiations with the airline reached an impasse in July.

Strike votes are a precursor to legal job actions, but they do not mean that flight attendants must go on strike. The union represents more than 10,000 flight attendants working for Air Canada, including its leisure service Air Canada Rouge.

Air Canada did not respond to a request for comment immediately.

Wesley Lesosky said in a press release that "Flight attendants had a chance weigh in and tell company it's now time to negotiate seriously." Flight attendants from Canada and the United States want higher pay and compensation for their entire time on the job. They are challenging contracts which only pay for the time spent in the air, but not for the time they spend arriving before boarding. Flight attendants with United Airlines rejected an agreement tentative for a new contract in late July, arguing that it didn't go far enough.

(source: Reuters)