Unionization effort by Delta flight attendants fails

If successful, some 21,000 flight attendants would have been in the bargaining unit represented by Association of Flight Attendants-Communications Workers of America. A total of 8,778 workers voted in favor of AFA-CWA, while 9,544 voted for “no representative,” the National Mediation Board said.

The voting was conducted over several weeks by phone and Internet.

The organizing campaign was driven by some 7,000 flight attendants who had been AFA-CWA members at Northwest before its merger with Delta, a largely non-union airline. Many of the non-union workers are based at Delta’s headquarters in Atlanta.

The union said it will file a series of objections, charging Delta management with illegally interfering in the election.

“When the NMB rules on these objections, we will update you,” AFA-CWA leaders said in a statement on their campaign website. “Meanwhile, Delta AFA would like to thank our many supporters and campaign activists, whose ambition has been critical to our dream of delivering representation to Delta flight attendants, despite today’s disappointing results. Your sacrifices deserve our deepest gratitude.

“Although this election was an emotional journey for some and at times divisive, we are all on the same team. We are the faces of Delta in the air. We provide safety and comfort to our customers, no matter how we voted. We will protect each other and define the flight attendant role at Delta, working to make our airline a global leader in service and safety.”

Voting also is under way for some ground workers at Delta who are seeking representation by the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers. Results will be announced later this month.