At the centre of the dispute, reports Travel Week, is what the union is calling a widening gap between the work that flight attendants are required to perform and how that work is compensated. According to CUPE, flight attendants are responsible for passenger safety from the moment they report for duty, yet significant portions of that time are not fully compensated under the current system. On average, says CUPE, flight attendants work 35 hours every month unpaid.