The clock is now ticking for Air Canada and the union representing around 10,000 flight attendants to come to a deal before they hit the picket lines.

The Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) served the airline with an official 72-hour strike notice shortly after midnight on Wednesday. The notice is required under Canadian labour laws and that means the union can begin legally setting up picket lines as early as Saturday at 1 a.m.

Wesley Lesosky, president of CUPE's Air Canada component, stated that its membership returned a nearly unanimous mandate to strike - 99.7 per cent in favour - and that the airline is unwilling to negotiate.

"They want to go to arbitration, rather than stay at the bargaining table and bargain a new contract," he stated.

Leso

See Full Page