We Support Delta Flight Attendant Efforts to Join AFA
November 1, 2019
Dear AFA Members:
Today is an exciting day at AFA. Thousands of Flight Attendants at Delta Air Lines have asked AFA to join them in efforts to become full members of our union. As we write this to you now, we are landing in Atlanta to respond in person to their request and affirm our full support of their efforts to join AFA.
As long as Delta management retains control of pay, benefits and working conditions at the industry’s most profitable airline, our bargaining power at each of our airlines is cut short. An MIT study of Flight Attendant total compensation – wages, benefits, and profit sharing – found that on average Delta Flight Attendants made $14,000 less last year than a United Flight Attendant. We know from our negotiations that Delta pays $100 million less a year than United Airlines for Flight Attendant costs in the same size operation. As long as Delta can claim to speak for the 25,000 Flight Attendants at the airline, our efforts to achieve proper staffing, rest, job security, and safety standards through government regulations are undermined.
Right now, as we launch this campaign we can start to correct this by helping to lift the voices of Delta Flight Attendants and protect their rights under the Railway Labor Act as they organize. And, when Delta Flight Attendants vote to join AFA we will strengthen our voice, our bargaining power, and our standing in every issue that affects our jobs like never before.
AFA Endeavor Flight Attendants are a Delta wholly-owned regional airline, and this effort directly affects their representation too as we address issues like concerns about toxic uniforms and the ability to share in Delta’s success.
Already, talk of AFA at Delta has encouraged management to improve the wage scale, announce plans to implement 10 hours minimum rest by February 2020, and promise to implement certain provisions of the United contract that produce more compensation for Flight Attendants. But, as long as Delta Flight Attendants are without a contract like management at Delta has for themselves, promises can change and our ability to move our careers forward will not reached its full potential.
AFA has a long history with Delta Flight Attendants, and we have always thought of all Flight Attendants as part of our AFA family. Interestingly, over 40 percent of the seniority list has been hired at Delta since the last union vote nine years ago. The energy and excitement for our Flight Attendant union is palpable. Help us welcome Delta Flight Attendants to our union today as we work together to build power for aviation’s first responders. Visit afacwa.org/deltawelcome to learn more about how you can support Delta Flight Attendants.
Thank you for all you do every day as aviation’s first responders. We will always work to strengthen our union and achieve results that matter to Flight Attendants. We are Stronger Together, Better Together.
In Solidarity,
Sara Nelson, AFA International President
Debora Sutor, AFA International Vice President
Kevin Creighan, AFA International Secretary-Treasurer
