Delta/Northwest Flight Attendants' Election Begins Sept. 29

Starting Sept. 29, Delta/Northwest flight attendants' campaign for bargaining rights officially gets underway, with voting materials set to be mailed out by the National Mediation Board to 20,000 flight attendants. The voting period ends Nov. 3.

The election will be the first in the airline industry to follow the same democratic voting standard that Americans use to elect local, state, and federal representatives.

Now, the outcome in airline elections will be decided by a majority of those who vote. Under the old rules, workers who didn't vote were considered to be "No" votes, giving management a huge advantage in anti-union campaigns. The NMB's rule change came about through years of hard work by AFA-CWA and CWA, and the testimony from airline workers about election abuses.

"Delta and Northwest flight attendants have waited a long time for this day, and are eager to move forward in creating a world-class contract at the world's largest carrier," said AFA-CWA President Patricia Friend.

Flight attendants from the old Delta are fighting to win bargaining rights for the first time, while flight attendants from Northwest Airlines want to keep the union rights they've had for more than 50 years.

For more information, go to www.deltaafa.org.