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Air Transat, CUPE head back to bargaining table after flight attendants reject tentative deal

Air Transat’s 2,100 flight attendants have rejected a tentative deal with the airline — voting 98.1 per cent against the deal that was reached on Dec. 14.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) said it will be back at the bargaining table later this week. Air Transat said it has agreed to resume discussions with the union executive, stressing that there are “currently no strike or lock-out notices issued by either party” and that both sides are keen to quickly reach a new agreement.

The tentative agreement that was presented to members had been approved by the union executive, without restriction, on December 14, and seemed to meet the main interests discussed with the flight attendants’ union, the airline said in a press release.

“We had reached a tentative agreement negotiated in good faith, which met the interests of both parties,” said Julie Lamontagne, chief people, sustainability and communications officer of Transat. “We are disappointed by this outcome, as we were confident that the tentative agreement would be accepted by the majority of our flight attendants. We are returning to the bargaining table, and our objective remains to find common ground as soon as possible.”

At this time, all Air Transat flights are maintained, and the usual terms and conditions apply, it said.