Delta Air Lines interfered in a union election among its flight simulator technicians, the National Mediation Board determined.

The election will be rerun,  the three-member Mediation Board decided. The NMB oversees labor relations at airlines.

The Machinists union lost the election, which was triggered by Delta's merger with Northwest, in February. Simulator technicians were unionized at Northwest but not at Delta. Of the 91 eligible voters, 40 voted for the Machinists union.

The union claimed Delta interfered by offering a pay raise to non-union employees and conducting one-on-one meetings to influence employees not to vote for the union. The Mediation Board said those moves constituted interference, but found insufficient evidence for other claims by the union.  One NMB member dissented on the pay raise issue.

Delta said: "We are disappointed with the NMB’s ruling. Many of the IAM’s allegations were found to be without merit and we agree with the strong dissent that the timing of the world-wide announcement of a general pay increase did not constitute interference in the simulator technician election."

The Mediation Board's decision comes as Delta flight attendants and other ground workers prepare for their own union elections. No date for the new election was set.

About the Author

Keep Reading

AGCO owns several subsidiaries that manufacture agricultural machinery. The Duluth-based company has more than 700 employees in Georgia and over 27,000 worldwide. (Courtesy of Massey Ferguson)

Credit: Massey Ferguson

Featured

The city of Brookhaven's mayor and City Council last week decided to remove the colored panes of glass from the dome of Brookhaven's new City Centre after residents objected to the brightness of the colors, seen here Friday, June 27, 2025. (Reed Williams/AJC)

Credit: Reed Williams/AJC