More than 13,000 Delta Air Lines flight attendants today will conclude a monthlong election for union representation —- the second unionization attempt in Delta's history. During the past year and a half, the campaign to become members of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA has been bittersweet for many Delta flight attendants. The more we work toward gaining representation and a voice in our future, the more we look back and wonder: How did we get to this point?

Delta flight attendants have benefited from a stable working relationship with management, with no union representation —- almost unheard of in the industry —- for the past 75 years. That relationship has enabled flight attendants to build a strong, proud legacy at Delta, and both parties benefited greatly. But over the past several years, our wages and benefits, which once led the industry, have deteriorated dramatically.

The airline business, as we are all aware, is at a critical point. Given skyrocketing fuel prices and lingering threats of recession, no one can predict what is to come. Just like the rest of America, we are concerned about our future and protecting our families.

While we need binding commitments from Delta, our new team of executives continues to try to distract us with promises of growth and improvement. Yet this is the same group that tried relentlessly to outsource flight attendant positions at Northwest Airlines in 2005. Luckily, their quest to replace the work force with lower-paid foreign workers failed, due to the efforts of Northwest flight attendants and the Association of Flight Attendants.

To protect our future, it is critical that we have safeguards to keep management from destroying our profession —- safeguards that are detailed in a legally binding contract. Delta flight attendants want to maintain the quality of middle-class jobs that have benefited the local Atlanta economy and communities across the country for decades. We want to have a say in building and growing the world's largest airline.

What once was a "family style" environment at Delta is no more. This sad fact faces us each day. The new Delta is run by a group of executives who have only been around for nine months. People like former Northwest CEO Richard Anderson are making decisions that will affect the future of Delta flight attendants who have spent their lives building our company.

Our airline has evolved, and Delta flight attendants intend to do so as well. By becoming union members, we will actively defend our profession. We will protect our interests as we work alongside management in creating the world's largest airline.

It is now up to us to take charge. As the backbone of Delta Air Lines, we deserve the protection of a legally binding contract to preserve our careers as safety professionals today and in the future.

> Mara Levene has been a Delta flight attendant for 17 years. She lives in metropolitan Atlanta.