IAM Delta Flight Attendants

“Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be a sun, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., October 26, 1967

"Sisters and brothers, today our nation commemorates the life and legacy of a transformational leader. In a life cut too short, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. relentlessly pursued racial equality and justice and made unforgettable gains for civil rights in this country.

Dr. King’s call for labor rights, economic fairness, and racial justice rings as true today as it ever did. We, as a labor movement, continue that fight every day."

Sito Pantoja, General Vice President

Wishing workplace organizers everywhere an active and peaceful MLK Day. Thank you for serving others!

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The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) today submitted comments to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) demanding implementation of the 10 hours rest rule for all Flight Attendants, which has dragged on beyond the congressionally mandated timeline for implementation.

The unions representing more than 50,000 Flight Attendants, the majority of unionized Flight Attendants in the United States, and who have negotiated the best Flight Attendant contracts in both the mainline and regional sectors, pushed back on the FAA's Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) as "unnecessary and an attempt to undermine the will of the American people."

"It's well past time for the FAA to stop carrying the airlines' water and get this rule implemented," said IAM General Vice President Sito Pantoja. "The FAA and the carriers should do their jobs and give Flight Attendants the rest that they deserve and the rest that the American people demanded they have. When passengers board aircraft, Flight Attendants do their jobs and ensure the safety and security of the flight. It's time for the FAA and the carriers to do their jobs."

The unions stated, "Congress gave the FAA a clear mandate to enact a new minimum rest standard for flight attendants in the 2018 Reauthorization Act. This rule should be in place already and there is no rational reason for continued delay in implementing it."

Please read the full text of the comments here.

IAM General Vice President Sito Pantoja issued the following statement today:

"The IAM stands 100 percent behind Delta Flight Attendants’ long struggle to gain collective bargaining rights and will continue to support your historic effort. The AFL-CIO had awarded the IAM with exclusivity and was in the process of investigating whether the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) was in non-compliance with that award. AFA was aware of this investigation and participated in the process.  Nevertheless, they moved forward before it was completed. This process is yet to be resolved by the AFL-CIO and is still pending.

As we said on Friday, we are deeply concerned and disappointed that the AFA would launch a campaign while this dispute is still unresolved. We hope that once this matter is resolved that all parties abide by the AFL-CIO’s determination and that all Delta Flight Attendants unify around the singular goal of forming a union and negotiating the industry-leading contract you very much deserve.

The IAM has steadfastly supported Delta Flight Attendants’ efforts to gain IAM representation for almost seven years now, and is committed as ever to bringing this campaign to a successful conclusion."

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers issued the following statement regarding the CWA-AFA’s announced organizing activities at Delta Air Lines:

The IAM is deeply concerned and disappointed by CWA-AFA’s announcement of intended organizing activities at Delta Air Lines before the AFL CIO has resolved the organizing dispute that has been pending for approximately two years. The IAM Delta campaign is strong and ongoing. As more information regarding this matter becomes available, the IAM will make such information available to all Delta Flight Attendants.