Delta CEO sends letter to Congress on financial support for employees

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian in a letter to members of Congress on Wednesday discussed steps the company has taken to help its employees, two days after more than 100 House members in a separate letter called on him to stay neutral in union talks at the company.

Bastian highlighted a $1.4 billion profit-sharing arrangement for front-line workers and an emergency savings program, in which participating employees “can earn $1,000 from Delta to fund a rainy day account.”

“At Delta, our No. 1 job is taking care of our people — our success flows from this simple concept. Sharing profits with our people, along with providing tools and education to help manage and grow their wealth, is part of our responsibility as a values-led organization,” Bastian said in the letter.

A group of 145 House members signed a Monday letter calling on Bastian to stay out of union organization talks, saying that their constituents had informed them of “Delta’s history of deploying union-busting tactics, including threatening employees with termination of their benefits, distributing anti-union literature, and hosting an anti-union website.”

“These retaliatory actions are hostile to workers’ rights, and we urge you to commit to implementing a neutrality agreement with regard to these union organizing efforts,” the letter continued. “A neutrality agreement simply consists of an employer agreeing not to engage in pre-election activities that influence workers’ freedom to form a union.”

The letter went on to “strongly urge” Bastian to “adopt a neutrality agreement with regards to any efforts by your employees to unionize and to commit to negotiating in good faith if your employees do choose to form a union.”

The letter came as flight attendants working for some of the country’s largest airlines picketed outside of more than 30 airports in the U.S., U.K. and Guam on Tuesday to “demand fair contracts with significant pay increases,” according to the Association of Flight Attendants union. 

In an emailed statement, Delta said that they “welcome the dialogue with these members of Congress.”

“Delta firmly believes every employee has the right to choose or reject union representation without interference, and we have policies in place that allow employees to learn more about this important decision,” the statement read.