Delta Air Lines Increases Pay as Unionization Attempts Continue

Delta Air Lines is upping the pay for its nonunion workers, including flight attendants and ground staff, as it faces another unionization attempt. The airline’s CEO, Ed Bastian, announced a 5% pay hike for these employees. Additionally, the company will increase the minimum wage for its U.S. workers to $19 per hour. This pay raise affects over 80,000 Delta employees.

Bastian mentioned that the pay boost is part of their commitment to offer competitive compensation for outstanding performance. Since 2022, Delta has increased the pay for major work groups by a total of 20% to 25%. This includes both base pay and profit-sharing. Last year alone, Delta distributed $1.4 billion in profit-sharing to its employees.

Delta’s financial performance has been strong, reporting earnings of $4.6 billion last year. This surpasses the combined profits of United, American, Southwest, and Alaska airlines. It marks the highest profit Delta has seen since 2019, before the pandemic impacted U.S. travel.

Currently, only about 20% of Delta’s workforce in Atlanta is unionized. This is the lowest union representation among the four largest U.S. airlines. While Delta pilots are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, cabin crews and maintenance workers remain nonunion. Previous attempts to unionize flight attendants in 2010, as well as in 2002 and 2008, were unsuccessful.

The Association of Flight Attendants is making efforts to change this. The union’s president, Sara Nelson, aims to gather enough support from Delta attendants by the end of the year to prompt another unionization vote. Nelson believes that unions are gaining strength, even in regions with low union presence. She points to the recent union win at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee as evidence. Moreover, her union’s ongoing efforts at United Airlines could potentially strengthen their position at Delta.

In summary, Delta’s pay increase comes at a time when it is facing renewed unionization efforts. The airline’s strong financial performance and the union’s persistent push suggest that the labor landscape at Delta could be evolving.