Proposed legislation would ensure flight attendants are paid for pre- and post-flight duties

Conservative MP Lianne Rood has put forward a private member's bill that would ensure flight attendants are paid for their pre- and post-flight duties.

Flight attendants have been advocating for changes to the labour code because they don't start getting paid until their plane is in motion — and their compensation ends when the plane stops at the gate after landing.

«This is unfair and puts many women and diverse Canadians at a disadvantage,» Rood said Wednesday as she tabled the bill.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) air division — which represents 18,000 flight attendants — says that on average, flight attendants do 35 hours of unpaid work per month. That includes such duties as overseeing the boarding and unboarding process.

C-409 would amend the labour code by adding a section requiring that flight attendants be paid for «carrying out all pre-flight and post-flight duties relating to aircraft security and passenger service, including assisting with embarking and disembarking and pre-flight cabin and passenger safety checks.»

Wesley Lesosky, a flight attendant and president of CUPE's air division, said the bill being introduced is «momentous.»

«I think it's amazing that we're growing the support behind the payment for flight attendants, so we're very happy to see that something has been introduced,» he said.

But Lesosky said the Conservatives didn't consult with the union before tabling the bill and it could use some tweaks.

As it stands, the bill says that flight attendants should be compensated for completing mandatory training. But Lesosky said that language needs to be altered to specify that attendants must receive their full hourly wage for mandatory training.

«For training, for instance … a lot of us are