Labor Gains Ground in the South and Eyes a Delta Contract
The Association of Flight Attendants tried three times to organize Delta flight attendants -- in 2002, 2008 and 2010. It failed each time, even after the 2010 merger brought 7,000 unionized Northwest flight attendants into the bargaining unit. Pantoja said a group of Delta flight attendants contacted the IAM in 2012, asking to be organized.
"They came to us on their own, with several thousand signed cards," he said. "Now we have over 300 organizers. I believe that by the end of the year we will file." The London-based International Transportation Workers Federation is helping IAM reach out to flight attendants who fly overnight in Europe, he said.
Delta spokeswoman Kate Modolo said Delta employees prefer the direct relationship they have with their leaders. "Delta people have received eight companywide pay increases of 3% or more each since 2007 -- something no other airline, including those with IAM-represented workgroups, has matched," Modolo said.