Pascan aviation manager tries to ram striking flight attendants

A Pascan Aviation manager attempted to drive into a group of workers with his car yesterday in Saint-Hubert, Québec. The flight attendants at this small regional airline were maintaining a flexible picket line at the entrance of the facilities. They have been on an indefinite general strike since late October.

“The flight attendants were letting people in, but slowing entry a bit,” to apply pressure, explained Patrick Gloutney, president of CUPE Quebec, in an interview with The North Star. It was at that moment that, according to the union representing the workers, “the car came in at full speed and charged toward the parking lot.”

At the last second, a flight attendant who saw it coming managed to pull a colleague out of the path of the oncoming vehicle.

Gloutney said the private security guards hired by Pascan to protect the company ended up having to protect the workers in the face of such a blatant and dangerous act. “When they saw what happened, the guards ran after the manager, but he went to hide in the hangars at the back, which the security guards couldn’t access.”

The union does not know why the manager drove toward the picketers, but everything suggests it was not an accident. “I’d say we’re getting under their skin, and clearly, some employees have a shorter fuse.”

Pascan’s flight attendants do not plan to let the manager walk away without consequences. “A police complaint was filed late yesterday afternoon. So we’ll let the police do their work and we’ll see where it leads.”

If a vehicle is used to attack a person or a group, it can be considered a weapon. If the Pascan manager is deemed responsible after the investigation, he could face charges ranging from dangerous driving to attempted aggravated assault.

“It’s deplorable and completely unacceptable to endanger the lives of workers” who are simply trying to improve their living conditions, Gloutney said.

At the time of publication, Pascan had still not returned The North Star‘s call, even though the interview request had been confirmed as transmitted.

A fight over working and living conditions

“The issues cover pretty much the whole set of working conditions” for Pascan’s 21 flight attendants, Gloutney said. “Wages are part of it, but living conditions as well.”

Flight attendants often have to spend nights away from home while waiting for the next flight. And “in some of the places where they’re expected to stay overnight, the living conditions are not necessarily what you’d expect in 2025.”

They also want to improve the training they consider rushed “to the point of putting crews and passengers at risk.” According to the workers, their push to improve both their conditions and the quality of these trainings, combined with management’s refusal to address the issues, is what drove them to launch the strike.

For Gloutney, a strike remains an essential tool when workers’ demands are ignored and no other options remain. “A strike is entirely legitimate. We know it causes disruption. In this economic climate, going on strike takes courage. And if our members make that decision, they do it fully aware of what it means.”