Air Canada pilots demonstrated at TorontoB次元官网网址檚 Pearson airport Friday, calling for better wages and working conditions as talks with the countryB次元官网网址檚 biggest carrier continue.

Representing more than 5,000 Air Canada aviators, the Air Line Pilots Association kick-started the bargaining process in June, one day after fellow union members at WestJet ratified a new collective agreement.

Both the union and employer say the so-called informational picket at Terminal 1, which comes the same day their own nine-year deal expires, will not affect Air CanadaB次元官网网址檚 flight schedule.

No strike is imminent, the pilots association said.

Charlene Hudy, who heads its Air Canada contingent, said the agreement has grown B次元官网网址渟tale,B次元官网网址� with some co-workers leaving for better pay in the United States.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e striving for this world class contract that Air Canada pilots do deserve,B次元官网网址� she said, calling the wage gap across the border B次元官网网址渦nacceptable.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭here was a point in time back in 2013 when we were pretty comparable B次元官网网址� almost even B次元官网网址� with our fellow counterparts at United.B次元官网网址� But starting next year, United Airlines pilots will earn 92 per cent more, she said.

Between March and September, pilots at Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines secured agreements that included four-year pay hikes ranging from 34 per cent to 40 per cent.

Since landing on a deal in 2014, Air Canada pilots have received a two per cent pay hike each year.

Hudy also highlighted career progression and job security as other points of contention.

Air Canada said it remains engaged in productive discussions with the union, and the dealB次元官网网址檚 provisions remain in effect.

The negotiations are B次元官网网址渁 normal part of the bargaining process,B次元官网网址� spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said in an email.

B次元官网网址淲e are committed to reaching a fair, negotiated settlement with our pilot group.B次元官网网址�

In late May, the union invoked a clause to end its 10-year collective agreement a year early and launch negotiations for a new one. It served up a bargaining notice to company management two weeks later, the first step toward hashing out a new deal.

The unionB次元官网网址檚 move came after 1,800 pilots with WestJet and budget subsidiary Swoop ratified a new agreement that brings them onto a level pay scale, giving flight crews a 24 per cent wage bump over four years and resulting in SwoopB次元官网网址檚 shutdown at the end of October.

Experts say the deal sets a new standard in Canadian aviation that will put pilots closer to U.S. pay levels and raise costs for airlines still recovering from hundreds of millions of dollars in losses during the pandemic.

The Air Canada talks also play out as airlines face intense domestic and cross-border competition from ultra-low-cost carriers such as Flair Airlines and Lynx Air and as labour shortages continue to plague the sector.

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press