Sara Nelson, who heads the AFA-CWA union which represents over 55,000 flight attendants across various airlines, said that the effort to unionize cabin crew at Delta “maybe” could come “in a few months.” Speaking at the Skift Aviation Forum she made a number of interesting claims.
- Boarding pay was first introduced two years ago at non-union Delta as a true add-on, additional money to flight attendants. Previously cabin crew were generally paid only for time operating the flight. This is something that unions bargained for, and preferred because it meant higher hourly pay rates, and because senior flight attendants work fewer, longer flights and therefore spend less time boarding. It redistributed money from junior crew to senior crew.
Sara Nelson says that Delta’s move was a response to union pressure. But if that’s true, then it proves the point that flight attendants at Delta are better with unions as a stalking horse than actually having (and paying for) one.
- Nelson says that boarding pay has expanded to other, new contracts since Delta’s move. And that’s partly true. Her union didn’t go for it at Spirit, saying it wasn’t actually that important.
At American, a union base President explained that they got boarding pay instead of higher hourly pay. Some senior crew were very unhappy, then, with the choice to push for boarding pay.
- But Nelson says that union contracts have ben done at “better terms” – which is misleading because they are not at better pay. American’s contract, for instance (which Nelson specifically cites) adopts Delta’s boarding pay system and their profit sharing structure. It doesn’t adopt Delta’s profit sharing amounts because American doesn’t make very much profit.
- She complains about a ‘two-tiered wage system’ where regional airline flight attendants make ~ ‘45% less’ than counterparts at mainline.
However, for the most part these are pay rates set by contracts that her union negotiated. And it’s precisely these contracts that let mainline carriers offload cost, and pay flight attendants higher wages at mainline. They’re effectively B-scales, and arguably appropriate for regional carriers operating planes with fewer passengers and without as much premium revenue as mainline whose revenue is augmented by long haul business class.
Ms. Nelson was dubbed the most powerful flight attendant in America by the New York Times. She could bark orders at Congressman Pete DeFazio when he chaired the House Transportation Committee. And she was probably most responsible for airline subsidies during the pandemic.
However, her influence may be waning after losing a fight to reform rules at her own union, losing out to run the AFL-CIO, and losing the most recent Presidential election – and not just because there will be a Republican majority on the National Mediation Board, but because Democrats were all-in on unions and unions didn’t deliver victory especially in swing Rust Belt states.
Ha! She already wrote to membership last week that it’s going to be hard to get contracts done at UA and AS now, with the new administration. Maybe she should focus on that instead of trying to unionize a whole other workgroup.
I’m not a fan of hers. She spends too much time showboating and not enough on actual work. She also has an enormous ego and evidently doesn’t care in the least about passengers which is kinda sub optimal for a flight attendant.
When was the last time Sara Nelson worked on the line?
Gary-
You have stated the obvious in your story: “The flight attendants at Delta are better with unions as a stalking horse than actually having (and paying for) one.”
The threat of organizing a union is a far more powerful tool for the flight attendants than any airline union has proven to be!
Delta FAs have been saying this for decades- and it shows. Industry leaders in performance, profitability, workplace equity, compensation and quality of life. And imagine saving dues on top of it all, over a 40-50 year career.
The Delta Difference
No union drama, angst or chaos!
Unions in this sector (thinking UA, AA) made decent progress in the past year, but things are not looking favorable for labor movements with the next administration. Good luck to Delta crews, but I wouldn’t count on this.
Live Free or Die
Union Free
Read the room, Sara. Not gonna happen.
Did someone say premium revenue?!
pity the poor FAs at AS and UA that actually thought AFA could deliver.
DL FAs can see it all and will steer clear of Sara who lives in a fantasy land of her own self importance
Trolly Dolly Sara needs to zip it and get back on the line – better yet – sit on reserve for several months straight. What a worthless bag of hot air she is.
Membership fees will do little for members put will keep this person in the money.
I was once in a hospitality union when I was in my early twenties. The non-union employees had better benefits than the unionized workers. It made no sense. We were not given a choice to be in a union, rather it was imposed upon us. We payed dues for absolutely nothing in return. Unions can be good for job security in some industries. Unions help workers get paid more. None of this applied to us.
Your making a mistake with CWA they sold me out after paying into that union for 35 years at Cincinnati Bell/Alta Fiber. CWA just stood there with hands in their pocket.Screw CWA.
Don’t use CWA
I totally disagree with these comments. Sara hit the nail on the head it is not just about money it is the protection you have with union representation. Companies like Delta can change policies at any time but with a Union contract changes must be bargained. Your pay is in a scale and you know what you will make not waiting for a company to decide to give a raise and let us not forget the thousands of employees that are treated and disciplined unfairly that the Union represents and is able to resolve the unfair discipline, then there is the whole issue of bankruptcy where companies just take what they want with no consideration for employees. Union Strong
We make more money with contract protections; guarantee of minimum monthly hours, line holder status, change of flying pay protected, work rules, job security, and a seat at the table with management where pilots have always been, to name just a few Flight Attendants need a union for wage protections, health, safety, welfare and career security.