Flight attendants union sees opening at Delta: Labor fight’s next phase

Flight attendants at Delta Air Lines may soon make another push to unionize as broader public support for organized labor creates momentum, according to the head of the largest U.S. flight attendants union. Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO, said Tuesday that developments in the long-running campaign to organize Delta’s cabin crew “maybe” could emerge “in a few months.” “The big change today is that we have a positive view of unions in the public,” Nelson said onstage at the Skift Aviation Forum in Dallas-Fort Worth. “They’re one of the most popular things in the country.” Nelson, who represents 55,000 members at 20 airlines, cited stronger support from community organizations and elected officials in Atlanta, Delta’s headquarters city, and Gen Z’s pro-union attitudes as factors that could tip the balance after three failed attempts over a couple of decades to unionize the carrier’s flight attendants. Nelson said Delta’s recent move to pay flight attendants for boarding time — unique among major U.S. carriers — was a direct response to union pressure. But she said to Skift Editor-in-Chief Sarah Kopit that it was also driven by the airline’s effort to attract and retain Gen Z talent. Many younger workers have different expectations about compensation and working conditions. The initiative has since been expanded elsewhere, with “better terms” secured in contracts at American Airlines Group and a pending agreement at Alaska Air Group, Nelson said.<br/>