Shift Take

Delta’s non-union flight attendants may make another push to organize “within a few months,” said Sara Nelson, head of a 55,000-member union. Nelson cited broader public support for labor as a driver of change.

Sean O’Neill

Flight attendants at Delta Air Lines could soon make another push to unionize as broader public support for organized labor builds momentum, according to the head of the largest U.S. flight attendant union.

Sarah Nelsoninternational president of Flight Attendants Association-CWA, AFL-CIOsaid Tuesday that developments in Delta’s long-running cabin crew organizing campaign “maybe” could emerge “within a few months.”

“The big change today is that we have a positive view of unions in the public,” Nelson said on stage 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 the pro-union attitudes of Gen Z as factors that could tip the balance. after three failed attempts over two decades to unionize the carrier’s flight attendants.

Priorities of 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 told 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 of compensation and working conditions.

The initiative has since been expanded elsewhere, with “better terms” secured in contracts at American Airlines Group and a deal pending at Alaska Air Group, Nelson said.

Nelson highlighted several other union priorities, including:

• A two-tier pay system that pays workers at regional airlines about 45% less than those at mainline carriers

• Health concerns and working conditions, including radiation exposure. “We have a much higher rate of cancer among flight attendants,” she said.

• Harmonization of regulations between countries, especially in safety.

What flight attendants earned

Addressing concerns that unions drive up costs and hurt the passenger experience, Nelson argued that union support has historically improved safety and service, citing the elimination of in-flight smoking and pesticide spraying as examples.

“If done well, regulations can improve safety standards so that everyone agrees to them,” Nelson said. “It’s pro-competitive because it raises the bar for everyone.”

The union boss pointed to the response to the pandemic as a testament to the value of organized labor, crediting previous safety training supported by the union to help protect flight attendants during the pandemic.

Nelson also pointed to the union’s role in securing the federal wage support that kept aviation workers employed during the crisis. The program kept aviation workers connected to their wages, health care and other benefits for 16 months and banned stock buybacks for a period of time.

Nelson – who was recently appointed chairman of the civil aviation section of the International Transport Workers’ Federationwhich represents 5 million aviation workers worldwide – said labor campaigns often help companies and customers as much as employees.

“Passengers wouldn’t have the cabin safety they have if it weren’t for our union,” Nelson said. “There’s not just a vending machine and ‘Get out of your own way.'”