Air Canada pilots vote in favour of new contract, dousing strike fears

Air Canada pilots have given the green light to a tentative agreement with the airline, dashing fears of a future strike and overcoming concerns about entry-level pay and quality-of-life provisions.<br/>The Air Line Pilots Association said Thursday its members voted 67% in favour of the deal, allowing management and passengers to breathe easier. The agreement grants the carrier's roughly 5,400 pilots a cumulative wage hike of nearly 42% over four years. The increase outstrips major gains won last year by pilots at the three biggest U.S. airlines, where pay bumps ranged between 34 and 40% -- though they started from a higher baseline. Despite the eye-popping top-line figure, the one-third of ballots cast against the agreement reveal ongoing divides over issues such as scheduling, quality of life and a large pay gap between newer employees and more experienced flight crews. "It does show that there's room for improvement," said Charlene Hudy, who chairs the union's Air Canada contingent. "There's a contingent of my pilots right now who clearly may not agree with me. "It is not a perfect agreement," she told reporters on a conference call. Nonetheless, Hudy stressed that it amounts to the biggest labour contract in the company's 87-year history, adding $1.9b in value to the previous deal. "We pushed Air Canada as far as we could push them to extract as much value as possible." The country's largest airline also welcomed the thumbs-up from pilots. "The agreement is mutually beneficial and it will keep our pilots the best compensated in Canada and provide the work-life balance improvements they were seeking. At the same time, the agreement gives our company flexibility and creates a framework for future growth of the airline and its network," said CE Michael Rousseau in a release.<br/>