Canada

MONTREAL — Air Canada flight attendants start voting today on whether to give a strike mandate to their union.

The vote, running through to Aug. 5, comes after the Air Canada component of the Canadian Union of Public Employees concluded the conciliation process with no deal reached.

“This is where our strength lies and this is how we will show the company that we are united, serious, and will accept nothing less than the contract we deserve,” it said in a message to members.

It noted that a strike can’t take place until after a 21-day cooling-off period after the 60-day conciliation period has expired, and in the meantime continues to work toward a deal.

“Air Canada is committed to the bargaining process and remains fully available to continue negotiations towards a fair and equitable collective agreement with CUPE that recognizes the contributions of its Flight Attendants and supports the competitiveness and long-term growth of the company,” it said in a July 25 statement posted on its website.