Northwest flight attendants union to file for election

The flight attendants union at Northwest Airlines plans to file for an election this summer to seek representation of flight attendants at Delta Air Lines as the two carriers merge.

Atlanta-based Delta has been urging the union to file for an election to resolve labor representation issues in the merger.

“There is no reason for further delay,” said Delta spokeswoman Gina Laughlin.

Members of the Association of Flight Attendants’ Delta/Northwest campaign passed a resolution this month on their campaign, which outlined the time frame for an election. The exact timing will depend on the progress of the union’s campaign to garner support among flight attendants.

“One of the reasons we did not want to be pushed by management into an election as fast as they were trying to prompt it to happen is … we’re finding that the more interaction between the two groups, the more it helps,” said Danny Campbell, a Northwest flight attendant.

The International Association of Machinists has no timeline for an election yet, said spokesman Joseph Tiberi.