Unifor and Air Canada open bargaining for airport and call centre agents

TORONTO, Jan. 28, 2026 /CNW/ – Unifor opened collective bargaining today with Air Canada on behalf of customer service agents, who work at airports, call centres, and provide services such as customer relations and customer journey management, across the country.

“Air Canada’s customer service agents are the backbone of the passenger experience,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President.

“They manage delays, disruptions, and customer care under immense pressure, yet too often without the staffing and protections that reflect the value of their work. This bargaining round is about respect, safety, and fairness for the workers who keep Canada flying.”

Nearly 6,000 Unifor Local 2002 members work at Air Canada locations nationwide.

These members perform essential customer service and operational support, assisting passengers at airports, from contact centres, and through Aeroplan, with ticketing, reservations, travel changes, supporting reward travel, and helping customers navigate online transactions.

During flight delays and cancellations, they play a central role in recovery efforts by managing rebooking, connections, accommodations, compensation, and customer correspondence–often serving as the first point of contact when plans go wrong and helping restore trust after service failures.

“Our members are the people travellers rely on when flights are cancelled, connections are missed, or plans fall apart,” said Tammy Moore, President of Unifor Local 2002.

“They deserve improved wages, predictable schedules, and working conditions that allow them to do their jobs properly. Air Canada must recognize that strong customer service starts with respecting the workers who deliver it.”

Unifor has long called for systemic improvements in Canada’s aviation sector through its Air Transportation Workers’ Charter of Rights, which urges governments, airlines, and airport authorities to address chronic understaffing, contracting out, unsafe workloads, and inadequate training across the industry.

The current collective agreement with Air Canada will expire on Feb. 28, 2026.

Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 320,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.

SOURCE Unifor