Praise—but where's the raise?

Unionized Southwest Flight Attendants announced a Tentative Agreement that includes new industry-leading hourly pay.* This is the power of forming a union and negotiating a contract with improvements we prioritize!

Management has been teasing a raise for all non-union employees for months. Unlike our unionized Pilots and Dispatchers, we don’t have anything in writing to count on. Delta pilots set the new industry standard in their contract and made sure they would continue to lead the industry after other negotiations were done. We should do the same because Delta leads in profits and if we had the right to negotiate thats exactly what we’d do. Until then during record breaking profits at Delta, all we have is a vague promise that a raise of management’s choosing will be announced “soon.”

A raise in hourly rates is no comparison with a total compensation package in a contract. Compensation includes far more than our base hourly wage. Unionized Flight Attendants earn more sick time, vacation pay, save more for retirement through higher direct contributions, and pay less for better health insurance. Without a union, we have no say in making our benefits better or fighting when they change or are reduced.

Collective bargaining agreements also define how often we get our pay rates, such as a higher minimum day, trip pay guarantees, and extra money for full flights. Think about how much of a difference a minimum day of 5:15 would be vs our current 4:45. Or a trip average that guaranteed 19 hrs for a 3 day like at Southwest. Think about how much more we would bring home if we made 150% for all hours over 85 like at Spirit?

Today, Delta is nearly twice as profitable as other carriers. Are we paid twice as much? A collective bargaining agreement is the only way to fight for our fair share of the massive profits we make for Delta.

With a union, we would have the ability to fight for the raises we deserve including retro pay, and time off with pay like vacation and sick leave. Flight Attendants are fighting to preserve and improve quality of life like duty days, rest, and vacation time.

Management may claim that Southwest is a budget airline, but that alleged “budget” airline will soon be paying its Flight Attendants far more than Delta does. We are the beating heart of Delta Air Lines. We’ll take any raise that management announces while we continue to organize for our union and our contract too!l. Sign your card, wear your pin, and get involved by joining our campaign today.

*SWA calculates by Trips For Pay instead of flight hour. To calculate the equivalent, we multiplied their TFP rate by 1.164. If ratified, SWA Flight Attendants will top out at $90.13 ($77.43 x 1.164 TFP) with an increase to $92.83 ($79.75 x 1.164 TFP) next year, $95.61 ($82.14 x 1.164 TFP) for 2026, and $98.47 ($84.60 x 1.164 TFP) for 2027.*