Detroit, MI - On Monday, August 5, Endeavor flight attendants represented by the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) held an awareness picket at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) to highlight the significant pay disparities between flight attendants working for Endeavor, Delta’s wholly-owned regional subsidiary, and those working for mainline Delta Air Lines.

Led by Oscar Ochomogo, president of Endeavor AFA, Council 46 DTW, the flight attendants sought to draw attention to the need to end Delta’s two-tier pay system, referred to by workers as the “Delta disparity difference.”

On average, Endeavor flight attendants make 45% less than their counterparts at mainline Delta Air Lines. While mainline Delta flight attendants earn $35.50 per hour, including pay for boarding and departing time, Endeavor flight attendants receive only $25.46 per hour and are not compensated for boarding and off-boarding, which are considered the most challenging parts of their job.

This disparity exacerbates the challenges that flight attendants already face. As Ochomogo explains, “You're gone for four or five days on these trips. You don't have a refrigerator, so you have to buy food out or pack in such a way. The food is very expensive in the airport or in these markets at the hotels, because a lot of times we don't have transportation to go somewhere.”

In cities like New York, some flight attendants have had to rely on food stamps despite the high number of flights they handle in such busy regions. One Endeavor flight attendant noted that it is not uncommon for Endeavor attendants to work nearly twice the number of flights as their mainline Delta peers.

Ochomogo further elaborated on the situation, stating, “We only get paid for the flight out. For example, this morning, we have a Detroit to Buffalo flight. It's operated by Delta, you buy a reservation on the Delta ticket, get Delta service, Delta aircraft, they pay the Delta flight attendants that higher wage. Then, later [today] it’s operated by Endeavor, but your ticket will still say Delta, the gate agent will say Delta, we'll wear the same Delta uniform, say thank you for flying Delta connection, but we get paid 45% less.”

The protest was bolstered by the presence of high-profile labor leaders, including International President of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA Sara Nelson, and Shawn Fain, president of the United Automobile Workers. Their support underscored the solidarity among different labor unions in the fight against corporate greed and for a better life for the working class.

The “Delta Disparity Difference – DTW Day of Action” sends a powerful message to Delta and other airlines: the fight for fair compensation and equitable treatment is far from over. Flight attendants and their supporters are committed to challenging the status quo and ensuring that all workers receive the respect and pay they deserve.

People can demonstrate their solidarity with the workers by signing AFA’s petition to Delta CEO Ed Bastian, demanding an end to the Delta Disparity Difference.

#DetroitMI #Delta #AFA #AFACWA #Feature

As other airlines recovered quickly from the shutdown, the problems at Delta extended for a week. Crew scheduling and operational support at Delta is extremely low-staffed. Delta employs as little as 53 crew schedulers, in comparison to United and Spirit Airlines, which have over 100 crew schedulers and American Airlines, with over 200. In times of crisis the incredible workload put on Delta workers becomes impossible to manage.

The airline, without any capacity to even locate their own flight attendants, asked crews to fill out surveys to figure out their locations. Many flight attendants have shared horror stories of Delta’s mishandlings of the situation.

Flight attendants stated that they were evicted from their hotels after Delta couldn’t be reached to extend their reservations. By the time the company told flight attendants book their own hotel rooms, hotel prices had skyrocketed to over $1500 per night in some cities. Many flight attendants, especially younger or newer workers, have spoken out about not having the funds to front the cost of a hotel room and being forced to sleep in airport lounges. Flight attendants have been forced to wait online for over 12 hours in attempts to reach scheduling or hotel support to no avail. Many flight attendants were stranded away from home for days.

In these times of crises, with the company totally unable to function, Delta management continued to insult workers at every opportunity.

Delta management, rather than doing whatever was necessary to get flight attendants home, handed out baggies of laundry detergent to workers in the Atlanta airport lounge. The CEO of Delta, Ed Bastian, has been under fire because midst all the chaos he and several members of the board of directors flew first class to Paris to attend the Olympics. Even as many people spoke out about the clear inequality between a CEO relaxing in first class and Delta flight attendants stranded without a place to sleep, Bastian has still refused to apologize or offer any aid to workers.

Unfortunately, this response to the meltdown from Delta is not a surprise. It’s only one example of the ways in which the company disrespects its workers every day. It is treatment like this that has motivated flight attendants to push to organize a union at Delta, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.

The Delta flight attendants have been up against union-busting tactics. In a statement in response to the meltdown, the Delta AFA steering committee said, “Even though operational metrics have improved, Delta Flight Attendants are still trying to recover and get home from the operational meltdown.

The statement also noted, ”While Ed was flying to Paris Tuesday night, crew were sleeping in airports across the country. Flight attendants expect an apology and accountability. We provided a roadmap to recovery and care for the affected crew members. Instead of taking ownership, Ed took a first class seat. It’s not acceptable.”

It is clear that flight attendants want and deserve more from Delta - they want real support when things go wrong, and they want bargaining power. Despite the company’s last ditch efforts, it seems like they will be unable to stop the power of their workers as they fight for representation and unionization.

#MinneapolisMN #Delta #Microsoft #LaborRights #UnionPower #WorkersRights #AFACWA