Flight attendants poised to strike this week have previously asked the federal government to address one of their biggest grievances — unpaid work.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) gave Air Canada a 72-hour strike notice early Wednesday. In response, the carrier issued a lockout notice starting at 1:30 a.m. ET on Saturday and says it will begin cancelling flights on Thursday.

CUPE represents more than 10,000 flight attendants who work for the major airline and its budget carrier Air Canada Rouge.

The two sides have been negotiating a new collective agreement since March, and the union says the most contentious issues at the bargaining table are wages — which it says haven't kept up with inflation — and unpaid work.

Air Canada says it will begin cancelling flights ahead of

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