Document Type
Blog Post
Publication Date
12-12-2025
Abstract
In August 2025, 99.7% of Air Canada flight attendants agreed to strike, triggering what quickly became one of the most visible labor disputes in North America. Within hours, the government declared the strike unlawful and issued a back‑to‑work order. On paper, this should have ended the disruption. In practice, it did not. Thousands of flight attendants, organized under the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), defied the order and continued protesting. CUPE believed the process was unfair, claiming the airline refused to bargain fairly knowing the government would intervene to preserve operations. The strike paralyzed operations at Canada’s largest airline and frustrated the travel plans of hundreds of thousands. The government’s legal authority collided with overwhelming worker solidarity, resulting in a standoff that underscored the limits of ‘command‑and‑control’ labor law. The print edition of the issue has also been released. This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution website on December 10, 2025.
Recommended Citation
Schwartz, David, "When Back To Work Orders Fail: Lessons From Air Canada For U.S. Labor Policy" (2025). Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution (CJCR) Blog. 121.
https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/cjcr-blog/121
