Delta under pressure as house legislators back worker rights

Thursday, February 15, 2024

The Teamsters laud 145 members of the U.S. House of Representatives for their letter to Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian, urging the company to commit to a neutrality agreement to refrain from impeding organizing efforts within the carrier. “Despite Delta’s attempts to present itself as a responsible employer, the reality is far different,” stated Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “Delta Air Lines, despite being the highest-earning airline globally, has met our union drive with retaliatory tactics including coercion, intimidation, and misinformation. While Delta may resist the aspirations of its 45,000 nonunion workers for union representation, employees are determined to assert their rights, regardless of executive opposition.”

Presently, the Teamsters are actively organizing Delta technicians alongside other unions as part of a broader worker mobilization effort. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) is enlisting flight attendants, while the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is aiding ramp, cargo, and tower workers in their unionization endeavors.

The representatives’ letter referenced Delta employees’ coordinated unionization campaign announced in November 2022, encompassing flight attendants, fleet service personnel, and technicians. It highlighted concerns over Delta’s history of employing union-busting tactics such as threatening benefits termination, disseminating anti-union propaganda, and hosting anti-union websites. These actions were condemned as antagonistic to workers’ rights, with a call for Delta to commit to a neutrality agreement regarding union organizing efforts.

Last month, a delegation comprising Delta Air Lines workers and representatives from the Teamsters, AFA, and IAM engaged with the House Labor Caucus to address carrier-related issues. Notably, shareholders voted against a freedom of association proposal concerning workers’ rights to unionize, a proposal already accepted by the three other major U.S. carriers.

Established in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking individuals across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

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