Delta flight attendants call for a union vote

Ben Mutzabaugh | USA TODAY

Flight attendants at Delta Air Lines may soon vote again on whether to unionize.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) says a drive to organize attendants at the Atlanta-based airline has netted enough signature cards to make an election request to the National Mediation Board (NMB). The IAM says it has delivered signed election request cards from about 12,000 of Delta's roughly 20,000 flight attendants to the NMB on Tuesday.

"This is an historic day for these courageous Flight Attendants," IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger says in a statement. "The IAM stands firmly behind the Delta Flight Attendants' effort to win a strong voice in their profession and stability in a volatile industry."

Delta remains one of the least-unionized of the big U.S. airlines. Its pilots are the only major workgroup to be represented by a union.

In its statement, the IAM says: "An election victory for the more than 20,000 Flight Attendants at Delta would be the largest ever transportation sector organizing win and would cap off more than two years of grassroots efforts by Delta Flight Attendants to gain union representation."

This is not the first attempt to unionize Delta's flight attendants. The most recent came in 2010 following the Delta-Northwest merger. Delta's attendants were not unionized while those at Northwest had been.

The Pioneer Press of St. Paul notes "the union lost that close 2010 vote, with 9,544 Delta flight attendants voting against unionization, and 9,216 voting for it. Organizers have been eager to try again, mounting a two-year effort to bring the matter up for another vote."

Delta's attendants also voted against unionizing in 2002 and 2008.

As for the latest effort, The Wall Street Journal writes Delta "said its attendants have enjoyed greater pay increases than their peers at other airlines since 2007 and have competitive benefits, flexible work rules and an industry-leading profit-sharing plan."

"While we respect our employees' right to decide whether unionization is best for them…our flight attendants deserve better than the IAM," Delta says in a statement to the Journal.

The IAM says it expects the National Media Board to order a representation election "within the next four to six weeks," according to a statement quoted by the Pioneer Press.