Truth Be Told: Purser Pay

Delta management continues to lie when comparing our Purser pay to other unionized carriers. In their OAL Comparison, management claims that they offer us industry-leading Purser pay by adding BOTH the Purser and Service Leader hourly rates together, then comparing the total to Purser Pay at American and United.

(Screenshot from Delta Management’s OAL Comparison, Page 7)

The truth is, the Purser (A-position) and the Service Leader (B-position) are two totally different positions on the aircraft. A Purser-qualified Flight Attendant CANNOT fly both positions at the same time on one flight, and CANNOT receive a total $9.45 an hour per flight. 

The Purser-qualified Flight Attendant either receives $5.65/hr (now $6.65/hr) for flying Purser or receives $3.80 (now $4.80/hr) for flying Service Leader. Even with the recent dollar increase in Purser pay, Delta Flight Attendants still fall below American’s and United’s Purser pay of $7.50/hr. And United and American Flight Attendants have had that pay rate for years.

When Delta management released their OAL comparison, they knew that the $5.65/hr for Purser and $3.80/hr for Service Leader badly trailed behind the Purser pay of $7.50/hr at American and United. That is why they decided to add together two separate compensations that cannot be earned together, to incorrectly claim that Delta management pays us better in this category.

Additionally, there are two other major problems with their approach to assessing and comparing purser/lead pay rates:

• Management adds $1.75 of galley pay at AA in an obvious attempt to lessen the impact of combining the rates of pay for two positions to DL. However, the $1.75 they added to AA purser is for 757/767/A350 aircraft and is not the $3.00 galley pay for AA aboard widebody aircraft 777/787 – and flies the majority of their transoceanic flying.
• For some reason while management adds Purser and Service Leader to exhibit their premium pay, they chose to not add the $1.00 for galley pay at United. This is completely inconsistent and highlights the degree that management’s comparison is a results-driven presentation that defies logic and reason.

Delta management, these are the FACTS on Purser pay. Stop with the lies and the union-busting. 

Let’s form our union and negotiate a Purser premium pay that is truly industry-leading and reflective of the premium services we provide for our passengers!

Sign your card today, then sign up to be an activist. Let’s win, together.