AFA Claim: During the pandemic, Delta pushed flight attendants to take unpaid leave with threats of furloughs.
Reality: This is misleading. After Delta published an updated furlough policy in Spring 2020 and provided employees with the opportunity to take voluntary leaves or accept attractive retirement/early out packages, we were able to avoid the sorts of furloughs thousands of AFA-represented flight attendants faced.
As frequently communicated by Delta leaders, furloughing our people was always the last resort, regardless of CARES Act funding. All of our cost reduction measures and the speed at which we implemented them were vital to protecting jobs. Delta quickly implemented COVID-19 pay protection and employees who were at high-risk could opt for paid leave without question. We also designed popular retirement and PLOC options. While our competitors were sending out furlough notices, our flight attendants could rest knowing that we were doing everything possible to avoid that fate.
Related AFA vs. Reality Articles
MAY 12, 2022
“Delta flight attendants received a pay raise because of AFA”
AFA claimed that Delta flight attendants received a pay raise in May 2022 because of AFA’s effort to unionize. This is false.
MAY 12, 2022
“Delta added new boarding pay because of the AFA’s organizing effort”
AFA claimed credit for our decision, but they have not negotiated boarding pay into the contracts of any airline they represent.
MAY 12, 2022
“AFA can negotiate a full contract for a workgroup within a year”
We are not aware of cases where AFA has done this for a group as big as Delta’s. Negotiations for much smaller groups have taken years.
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Stay in the know.
Text DELTA to +1 205 846 8096 for updates*
*By texting the keyword above, you are agreeing to receive periodic SMS text messages from Delta Air Lines regarding One Future. One Delta. Standard messaging and data rates may apply. You may unsubscribe any time by texting “STOP” and the keyword above to +1 205 846 8096. Full Terms.