Our thanks? Our names on a sign.

Thanks to the dedication and hard work of aviation workers and unions, the PSP has been extended through September 30—protecting Delta Flight Attendants from hourly pay cuts, furloughs, and service cuts that make it even harder to commute.

One year ago, our industry was spinning into the worst economic crisis in the history of commercial aviation. Working together, we’ve now secured more than $54 billion to provide pay and benefits to more than 2.1 million aviation workers over 16 months.

This incredible success was possible because 80% of the aviation industry is unionized. We used our collective power to make clear demands of Congress and the executive branch, and we won.

But the pay and benefits we received were only part of the PSP. When AFA first put forward the proposal, airlines were under scrutiny for massive stock buybacks and huge executive bonuses. Airlines had just made headlines for record profits in an era of rising inequality, and the public was hardly in position to support an airline “bailout.”

That’s why we made sure PSP required that all funds go to workers, and also locked in rules to keep executives honest—banning stock buybacks and limiting executive compensation during the crisis and beyond.

It’s clear why those guardrails were necessary. Just before the relief bill passed, Delta executives gave themselves a “one-time adjustment” payment —from $8,000 to $250,000 each for Senior Vice Presidents and above. While this did not exceed total compensation of 2019 - the legal limit set by PSP, these bonuses are an insult to the frontline workers who have been in harm’s way and everyone who took an unpaid leave or cuts to hours to keep our airline flying.

More than 10,000 Delta Flight Attendants took an unpaid leave of at least one month in the last year. More than 4,000 retired or left permanently without the dream send off we imagine throughout our careers. Delta eliminated SkyBucks and significantly decreased shared rewards. We lost trips due to no monthly minimum guarantees, lost multiple home bases due to closures and downsizing, and as of April 1, management’s unilateral changes to our PPT and vacation time accrual will make it harder to earn paid time off and qualify for healthcare.

Our thanks? Our names on a sign.

Delta’s executive “adjustment” payments may be legal, but they’re just one more reminder that management isn’t looking out for us—they’re looking out for themselves.

As more Americans receive the vaccine, demand increases and we start returning to normal, let’s build our power—at Delta and across the industry—by joining the 80% of aviation workers who already have a union contract to back them up.

Join us to make positive change at Delta. Get involved with our Delta AFA campaign >