Being on the low end of the pay scale as a flight attendant isn’t easy. But a union can help you get ahead.

Even with the latest changes to the pay scale, most junior cabin crew at Porter are only making $30 per hour in 2025. Meanwhile, entry level flight attendants unionized with CUPE at Air Transat, for example, are earning $39.21 per hour. That’s a big difference – and that’s the difference that a union-negotiated contract can make!

Isn’t it a bit odd that Porter shares routes with Air Transat, but non-unionized Porter cabin crew are earning $9.21 – or about 24 per cent – less per hour than unionized Air Transat flight attendants?

Unionized workers, on average, earn 28% more than non-unionized workers in the same field. Young workers who belong to a union earn $5.48 more per hour than their non-unionized counterparts, on average.

Being part of a union is about making progress for everyone – and at Porter, it’s clear that we have so much to gain with a union backing us up.

Sign your union card today to help all cabin crew – but especially the juniors – get ahead.

Being part of a strong union means being able to negotiate better contracts. It also means being able to advocate to change the law and improve our industry and our profession as a whole.

As Canada’s flight attendant union, CUPE is celebrating the introduction of Bill C-415, the Flight Attendant Remuneration Act, in the House of Commons. The legislation from NDP MP Bonita Zarrillo will ban the practice of forcing flight attendants to perform hours of pre-flight, post-flight, and training duties without pay.

Bill C-415 will require airlines to pay flight attendants their full rate for all hours worked.

Click here to tell your Member of Parliament to support Bill C-415.

The bill comes after significant input and consultation with CUPE’s Airline Division. As Carolyn Bugnon, President of CUPE Local 4094 representing Air Canada flight attendants based in Vancouver, said: “This bill is the bill that flight attendants wanted, and we are grateful to Bonita and the NDP for working with us as partners to develop this legislation.”

The legislation is the direct result of CUPE’s Airline Division’s Unpaid Work Won’t Fly campaign, which kicked off with a national day of action in April 2023, and a lobby day on Parliament Hill in May 2024.

Bill C-415 is a testament to the power of collective action by CUPE flight attendants who work at airlines big and small all across Canada. When flight attendants work together, and stand united, we can move mountains!

Click here to show your support for Bill C-415 by signing a letter to your MP.

And if you’re ready to grow your voice at work and in the halls of power, sign your union card today!

As our drive to form our union for cabin crew picks up steam, it’s no surprise we’re getting more attention from management.

Management has been trying to fearmonger about “the union” as if the union were a third party. In reality, the union is us – the cabin crew who keep this airline flying.

The union is not some scary outside entity; it’s made up of your coworkers and friends. It’s made up of cabin crew who are acknowledging, one by one, that a better life is possible when we work together to achieve it.

In short, the union is you!

And as a member in a union like CUPE, you are in control.

You set your priorities for negotiating your contract.

You elect your local representatives to represent you in negotiations.

You vote on how much your union dues will be.

And along the way, you have the support and resources from Canada’s flight attendant union to help you negotiate the contract you need and deserve.

CUPE represents 18,500 flight attendants at ten different airlines. With CUPE’s support, we will have the expertise and support we need to bargain a better contract and a better life for Porter cabin crew.

If you’re ready to take the next step, sign your union card today.

For forty years, flight attendants in Canada have had CUPE backing them up, and helping this industry succeed. We want Porter to be successful because we love our jobs – but we know there are so many ways our jobs need to improve. We also know that management will never give us those improvements of their own volition. We need to work together to make them a reality.

We disagree with a recent memo from management that characterized our effort to organize a union with our coworkers as “spreading negativity”. As Porter cabin crew, we think working together for a better deal at work is a positive thing. We think working together to get the respect and better wages we deserve at work is a positive thing. We’re excited about the opportunities ahead to make positive changes at our jobs. And we’re going to keep up our efforts until that goal becomes a reality.

It’s not surprising that the company isn’t thrilled that every week, more and more Porter cabin crew are signing their union card. When we have our union, the company won’t be pulling all the strings anymore. They won’t be able to make arbitrary changes to our working conditions. They will have to negotiate a fair wage, better per diems, and better benefits. They will have to play by the rules that both parties agree to. They’ve never had to do that before and it makes them uncomfortable.

The company says that cabin crew forming their own union doesn’t guarantee anything. But flight attendants at other airlines who unionized with CUPE enjoy industry-leading wages, per diems that actually keep pace with the skyrocketing cost of living, better benefits, predictable schedules, and working conditions that don’t change overnight on a whim. We will let you draw your own conclusions about what you can expect once Porter cabin crew have a union 😊

In the meantime, if you haven’t already signed your union card, do it today. And if you have, why not encourage a friend to signs theirs?

“We’ve heard from a number of you that there isn’t a clear process in place where you can resolve issues and get answers.” Those were the words from Porter’s director of in-flight services to cabin crew yesterday – and sadly, we have to agree.

This acknowledgement from management also reflects how many cabin crew feel every time Porter makes changes to our work rules that make our jobs worse. And to be honest, that seems to be happening a lot these days!

Now, having a voice through FOAG is better than having no voice at all. But every day, more and more cabin crew are seeing that our voice could be so much stronger. We’re seeing that our jobs could be so much better if we take the next step, and upgrade from FOAG to a real union with a real voice and real power to make positive changes and defend our rights.

FOAG is an important channel for conveying our concerns to management. But without a clear process for resolving issues – and without any real teeth – the company will always be free to ignore our concerns, deny us answers, and make big changes without our input.

With a union, the company will have to come to us first before they make these kinds of changes to our working conditions, and they’ll be accountable for their decisions to us through the union. Of course, with a union, we would never refuse changes that make our jobs better. But having a union will give us the power to demand clear answers, or say no when the company tries to make changes that make our jobs worse.

The difference is clear. If you’re ready to upgrade from FOAG to a real union, sign your union card today.

“We know that the aviation industry is ever-changing…but our work agreement doesn’t have to be! I love my job. That’s why I want Porter to unionize. I’m proud of the work that we do, and the safety and service we provide. There are many reasons why most major airlines have the security of a union behind them. With a union, we can protect what we have, rally for what we want, and create a solid, binding agreement that benefits us as cabin crew. The conversations are already happening. We deserve a seat at the table!” – Kate, YYZ

Flight attendants need more consistency in their day-to-day, not less. But unfortunately, without a union-negotiated contract, Porter can (and does) bend the rules as they please, and it’s cabin crew who lose out as a result.

Kate at YYZ and hundreds of other Porter cabin crew have already signed their union cards, and taken the first step toward building a more consistent and fair work environment for everyone.

If you’re ready to have more control and more consistency in your schedule, sign your union card today!

“I want a union so we can have a real voice in negotiating a real contract that won’t suddenly change without our agreement. We love our jobs and take pride in the high standard of service we provide. We owe it to ourselves to protect what we have and continue improving our our salaries, work rules and benefits. There is strength in unity. Let’s unionize and make our jobs even better – together!” – Cole, YHZ

Joining a union is a powerful opportunity to take a good thing and make it even better.

As Cole from YHZ points out, there is strength in unity, and when cabin crew at Porter work together, they can solidify their achievements in a binding contract, and keep working to improve their jobs through collective bargaining.

If you’re ready to work together to make our jobs even better, then sign your union card today!

We had such an amazing turnout and engagement at our last Zoom info session with CUPE’s Airline Division President Wesley Lesosky – that we’ve decided to hold another one!

Join us on Tuesday, August 27 at 19:00 ET for an ask-me-anything session with Wesley, to learn more about CUPE, the process of forming a union for Porter cabin crew, and any other questions you might have. You can also learn more about how you can join the campaign to form a union at Porter for cabin crew to bring forward more positive change in your workplace.

Wesley is an Air Canada flight attendant, a longstanding leader for flight attendants, and a national voice on ending unpaid work in the airline industry. He has been President of CUPE’s Airline Division since 2020.

Send us an email at porter@cupe.ca for Zoom login info.

Tuesday, August 27, 19:00 ET

“I have been a Purser at Porter since 2013. I would love to have a union to ensure cabin crew earn not only a livable wage, but a wage that correlates to our best-in-class service and skill. It’s important to show cabin crew that they are valued in a tangible way. As Porter succeeds so should we!” – Sarah, YOW

Most Porter cabin crew are just getting by, when we should be getting ahead.

We deserve better recognition and compensation for the incredible work we do, and that’s why Sarah and hundreds of other cabin crew like her have signed their union cards to join CUPE and build a union for all Porter cabin crew.

If you’re ready to get the recognition you deserve, then sign your union card today!

We all know how busy the summer season can be for flying and how much work this can be on cabin crew.

When vacation season is upon us do you have rules in place that crew scheduling follows? What happens when you work an extended duty day? Is there recognition for these long hours? What about overtime? If you get called on a day off how is that recognized?

At unionized airlines like Air Transat and WestJet there are negotiated premiums for duty days over 14 hours. There is also negotiated language on overtime flying. WestJet flight attendants, for example, who are represented by CUPE, receive a $200 duty premium for minutes 1-60 beyond a maximum duty period and $400 for minutes 61-120 after that. Air Transat, Sunwing, and WestJet all have premiums between $700-800 for voluntary extensions past 16 hours.

These airlines also have a grievance procedure in place so that if the employer is not following your contract you can file a grievance with your union local. Filing a grievance is your best protection when your employer doesn’t follow the rules set out in your union contract.

All of this is a result of collective bargaining a legally binding contract with input from the members – this means you as cabin crew!

To get the protection of a collective agreement and recognition for all of your hard work during vacation season Sign your union card today.