Air Canada struggles with union dispute MONTREAL, April 13 (UPI) -- Air Canada said an "illegal job action" by some of its pilots disrupted service Friday, with "delays and some cancellations." At least 40 flights were affected -- 30 at Pearson International Airport in Toronto and 10 at Trudeau International Airport in Montreal. "Due to illegal job action by some Air Canada pilots, Air Canada is experiencing delays and some cancellations of flights today," the airline said in a statement. The airline said it was "making every effort to re-accommodate affected customers" by assigning them seats on other flights, the Financial Post reported. Pilots were ordered by the government in March not to strike in a bill that also prevents the airline from locking out its workers. The protest by no-show pilots, apparently angered by the airline's threat to fire the union president, is the second recent unsanctioned work slowdown, the newspaper said. The airline accused the union of staging an illegal "sickout" on March 17. Pilots had reported they were encouraged to call in sick from other pilots, who would only identify themselves as "Pilot X." The company warned pilots that a "sickout" is considered a work action that is now illegal. Union members, in turn, said in an e-mail posted on a Facebook page: "The government and the corporation have largely handcuffed our leaders. Our ... chair, Jean-Marc Belanger, and our president, Paul Strachan, giants in defending your rights, are having their careers threatened. The airline had threatened to fire Capt. Jean-Marc Belanger, union chairman, and union President Paul Strachan for questioning the safety of the airline while in uniform in television interviews. The pilots are represented by the Air Canada Pilots Association. "You attack one of us, you attack us all," the e-mail said.