OTTAWA, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Canada's Conservative government will move quickly to end a possible Air Canada flight attendants strike, the labor minister announced in Ottawa.
The airline and the Canadian Union of Public Employees have been negotiating for months on a new contract with little progress reported by either side.
During the weekend, the union, which represents about 6,800 flight attendants, issued a strike deadline of 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.
Labor Minister Lisa Raitt said she wouldn't hesitate to push back-to-work legislation through Parliament, Postmedia News reported.
"If there is a work stoppage and Air Canada is disrupted … 65,000 Canadians will be stranded or left in a destination that is not their home," she said. "It's the best thing to do for the economy, it's the best thing to do for the Canadian public and it's the best thing to do for the airline and indeed the airline workers."
Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick told the Toronto Star he didn't favor the government making statements about ongoing negotiations.
"We've shown that we can achieve negotiated settlements, and Parliament should be left to running the country," he said.
In June, some 3,800 Air Canada customer service agents walked off the job for three days. As Raitt was preparing back-to-work legislation, a deal was struck and the strike ended.
