We all know it : the outcome of our summer strike left a bitter taste in our mouths and the feeling that we were not told the whole truth. Being served the equivalent of a Monty’s by unfAir Canada—no surprise there.

That the government would serve us the same old recipe, like J’s infamous omelet, was to be expected. But that our union would crumble like an old pretzel after galvanizing us with its bold promise to face the legal consequences of our (now declared) illegal revolt—that, with the team we had, we did not see coming. The surprise and confusion remain.
What happened on that fateful night that forced us to lose our momentum for an agreement adopted without our consent, without our knowledge, and supposedly containing no concessions ?
And most importantly : will we have to wait another decade only to have our democratic rights taken away again, without having any say in the matter ?
Many felt betrayed and powerless in the face of this outcome. Some spoke of decertification or changing jobs. Others called for wildcat strikes. After all, if our own union encouraged us to continue an illegal strike, why should we hesitate to do the same, when our right to be represented and heard is being trampled ?
A brief reminder is necessary to understand the causes of this debacle.
First, let’s give CUPE its due : at the beginning, the union mobilized brilliantly. The public relations campaign “Unpaid work won’t fly” proved remarkably effective in raising awareness about our unacceptable working conditions.
At that moment, we had the wind in our sails (or under our wings).
It is rare for a labor movement to receive such clear public support.
Pamphlet distribution, sunglasses to spread our message, renting a space in Old Montreal with hot chocolate distribution, a strong web presence, numerous petitions—a campaign carried out with courage.
Then, under pressure from the rank and file, we managed to channel all that silent energy. From that day on, it felt like a historic moment.

99.7% !

We had never been so united, so cohesive. 99.7% of us stood together. Our bargaining committee had the strong mandate it had hoped for.
Not only had we been flawless, but the employer—while lying to cameras and journalists—had to contend with several of us entering the room. The height of irony : while we remained silent and did nothing to prevent them from speaking, they fell silent and eventually abandoned their own press conference, literally leaving the table after claiming they had never left the (metaphorical) bargaining table.
Thus, Owen Gallant became our silent hero, standing with dignity and carrying the anger we all felt.

We were told what to do : “govern yourselves accordingly.”
So we went on strike. And we felt we could make change happen : after all, we had grounded every aircraft of the national carrier.
Who could have guessed that Mark Hancock tearing up that paper and throwing it to the wind was just for the cameras—a staged performance meant to manipulate us ? We had no way of knowing it was mere smoke and mirrors. After all, our union leaders appeared ready to risk jail for us.
More than one of us on the picket line was ready to join them if necessary.
Then came Michael Rousseau’s admission : government favoritism, the “docile” flight attendants who, according to him, would never defy a government order (so they must have thought in their corner offices).
Such contempt. Such arrogance.
And above all, such a blatant display of the collusion that festers at cocktail receptions and dinner parties with the Liberal Party.
The contempt did not stop there. Mark Nasr candidly admitted that, for Air Canular, what matters is not its employees but its airplanes. Work without guarantees ; while we refuse to negotiate, we’ll deal with your working conditions later.
Such venom.
Our comrades stranded on layovers around the globe began returning home little by little, and those reunions galvanized us even more.
Then, As suddenly as it had begun : the end.
We had won ! After all, why would we be asked to lay down our arms if we hadn’t ?
Returning to work without having achieved anything would have made no sense. Not only were the planes grounded, but even illegality and threats had failed to make us bend.
But what had we actually won ?
What was this offer we were supposed to vote on ?
Half an hour of pay for the “abolition of unpaid work”—far from reflecting the actual time worked without pay—and a derisory wage increase, which we overwhelmingly rejected.
We were then told to be patient, that an arbitrator would decide.
We dared to hope for something between the employer’s insulting offer and the union’s (more than reasonable) counteroffer.
Decision rendered : you deserve nothing but crumbs.
A bitter disappointment—an understatement. The worst kind of hangover. All this for that  ? The enthusiasm on the picket lines, the spectacular declarations from our leaders, the solidarity, the defiance… for an agreement clearly imposed on us through a process even less democratic than the trolley problem.
If some things are indigestible, it’s because they are not meant to be swallowed. If some things are unacceptable, it’s because everything within us screams to reject them. If something is forced down our throats, the only right option is to spit it back in their faces.

If you are reading this, it is because you have colleagues who want to continue the fight. The struggle must resume—but this time, the rank and file must have full control. This fight does not belong to union bureaucrats ; it belongs to the flight attendants.
We did not go through all this for that, nor for pretzels. We did not stand in the rain on picket lines to receive the crumbs the employer deigns to give us.
We must continue the fight, with all the determination and intelligence it requires.
The Flight Attendants’ Rank-and-File Committee is a tool we are creating to organize, coordinate, and unite. It brings together all those who refuse to be walked over, who want to resume the fight against the exploiting employer, timid and anti-democratic union bureaucrats, and a state that consistently serves large corporations.
It is a space to decide together—truly democratically—how to carry forward the energy and real fighting spirit of last summer.
Let us remember : struggle pays. The deal imposed on us would have been even worse without our few days of illegal strike action. A real victory will certainly not come without a few more.

Let us rely only on our own strength.

JOIN THE RANK-AND-FILE COMMITTEE