Porter, PAL pilots file for federal conciliation as contract talks stall

Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.HomeTransportationAirlinesPorter, PAL pilots file for federal conciliation as contract talks stallConciliation has become 'a necessary step' to ensure the pilots can secure an industry-standard agreementLast updated 54 minutes ago Porter said it has been working in good faith to reach a first collective agreement with ALPA since substantive bargaining began early in 2026. Photo by Cole Burston/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesPilots for two Canadian airlines say they have requested conciliation assistance from the federal government as discussions for new collective agreements have stalled.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountPilots with Porter Airlines and Eastern Canadian carrier PAL Airlines on Thursday filed separate notices of dispute to the Minister of Labour to request support from the federal mediation and conciliation service, opening the door for government involvement in their collective bargaining process.Porter’s pilots said they filed their notice to bargain with the company in September 2025 for their first collective agreement as members of Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), which also represents pilots flying PAL, Air Canada, WestJet Group, Air Transat and Flair Airlines.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again“After months of waiting for meaningful movement, it’s clear that the company is not prepared to engage in real bargaining,” Brian Smith, chair of ALPA’s Porter master executive council, said in a press release.Smith said Porter management has relied heavily on their pilots to support the airline’s rapid growth, while failing to “ensure that working conditions also evolve to reflect the needs of Porter pilots.”Conciliation has become “a necessary step” to ensure they can secure an industry-standard agreement, he said.Porter, in an emailed statement, said it has been working in good faith to reach a first collective agreement with ALPA since substantive bargaining began early in 2026.The airline said it is only in recent weeks that proposals on key items, such as scheduling rules and wages, have been tabled by the pilots’ association.“Although Porter believes requesting conciliation is premature, our goal is to finalize a first collective agreement with ALPA that recognizes the contributions of pilots, and supports mutually-beneficial long-term growth for all team members,” it said.PAL pilots, based in St. John’s, N.L., said discussions for their second collective agreement with the Eastern Canada airline’s management have been underway since July 2025, “but progress has stalled.”“PAL management has dragged their feet for months, and it’s obvious that they have no intention of engaging in meaningful bargaining,” said Conrad Reid, chair of ALPA’s PAL master executive council. “We didn’t want to escalate, but PAL’s refusal to listen and understand our concerns without creating unworkable solutions designed to strip away our quality of life has left us no choice.”In an email, PAL Airlines said it remains committed to engaging in “respectful, good-faith” collective bargaining and welcomes the opportunity to continue constructive negotiations with the pilot group through the conciliation process, with the support of a neutral third party appointed by the federal mediation and conciliation service.This advertisement has not loaded yet.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.It said that at this time, there is no impact to operations.“Our goal remains the achievement of a negotiated agreement that recognizes the needs and contributions of our pilots while supporting the long-term sustainability of PAL Airlines and preserving our ability to continue serving the customers and communities who depend on us,” said PAL Airlines.With the pilot groups’ request for conciliation, the federal minister has 15 days to appoint a conciliation officer for each who will then work with the parties for 60 days to reach an agreement.If both parties remain at an impasse following conciliation, and it is not extended, then a 21-day cooling-off period would begin.Employment and Social Development Canada, which handles the federal mediation and conciliation service under the Canada Labour Code, did not provide a comment at time of publication.ALPA Canada represents more than 13,000 pilots at 22 Canadian airlines.Earlier this month, pilots for WestJet, also represented by ALPA, announced their intention to open contract negotiations with the company on the pilot group’s third collective agreement.We apologize, but this video has failed to load.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.