Delta Flight Attendant Representation Election Results Upheld

National Mediation Board denies AFA's interference claims; airline begins process to align flight attendant pay, benefits, work rules and seniority

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Delta Air Lines

Nov 18, 2011, 05:32 ET

ATLANTA, Nov. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today received notification from the National Mediation Board (NMB) that the Board has rejected claims of interference filed by the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) following the November 2010 Delta flight attendant representation election. With its ruling, the NMB has upheld the decision of a majority of voters to reject AFA representation, allowing Delta flight attendants to move forward as a combined workgroup.

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"We have always believed that our flight attendants' voices and votes should be respected," said Joanne Smith, senior vice president – In-Flight Service. "We take very seriously our commitment to helping our employees take advantage of the full benefits of the merger. To that end, we will immediately begin the process of aligning pay, benefits, work rules and seniority for our flight attendants, including bringing pre-merger Northwest flight attendants up to the Delta flight attendant hourly pay rates."

Still pending are interference claims relating to representation elections for employees in Delta's Airport Customer Service, Cargo, Reservation Sales and TechOps Stores groups. The majority of voters in these elections also rejected union representation.

"We are hopeful similar decisions related to those elections will come quickly so that our people in those groups will be able to move forward as well," said Mike Campbell, executive vice president of H.R. and Labor Relations. "It is time to turn the page and continue to focus on making Delta a great place to work. We have the best men and women in the industry and I am grateful for the professionalism they've demonstrated during the past three years."

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year, and was named by Fortune magazine as the most admired airline worldwide in its 2011 World's Most Admired Companies airline industry list. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 335 destinations in 59 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, a world-class airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $2 billion through 2013 in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.