ITF "staggered" by US decision against Delta workers

November 24, 2011

The ITF is condemning the decision by US government agency the National Mediation Board, to deny charges of management interference in union representation elections which took place amongst Delta airline workers last year.

ITF-affiliated union, The Association of Flight Attendants - Communications Workers of America (AFA-CWA), documented what they believed to be a systematic and blatant attack by Delta on union representation during the November 2010 elections in which a majority of just 300 workers out of 25,000 voted against representation.

Although it is reported the NMB conceded that Delta ran "an aggressive campaign against union representation" and that there may have been an increase in supervisor surveillance in the workplace, the board ruled that this had not affected the outcome of the vote.

ITF general secretary David Cockroft said: "This decision is alarming, staggering and totally illogical. By ruling that there was no management interference in last November's elections the NMB is ignoring its own findings. It is also denying Delta flight attendants the right to any say over their working conditions, essentially taking their collective voice away."

He added: "This decision condones the behavior of Delta when it coerced workers into voting against union representation. Companies shouldn't be allowed to get away with that, it's just not right."

Concerns have already been raised that the close margin of the vote means Delta will continue with its widely reported anti-union tactics in the workplace, leaving thousands of flight attendants at risk of intimidation and unfair treatment.