Delta Air Lines flight attendants reject union

Flight attendants at Delta Air Lines announced Wednesday that they collectively rejected efforts to unionize.

The union indicated 47 percent of attendants voted for the AFA and about two percent voted for other unions.

Delta flight attendants were all non-union before the airline bought Northwest Airlines in 2008, but Northwest flight attendants were unionized. The vote was to sort out whether the union would represent all of the flight attendants -- or none of them. Some 1,900 Delta flight attendants are based in the Twin Cities.

Patricia Friend, president of the AFA-CWA, charged Delta management intimidated flight attendants and coerced voters.

"They stopped at nothing to keep Delta flight attendants from gaining a voice and advancing their profession," she said in a statement.

The union plans to submit interference charges against Delta for allegedly using illegal and unfair methods to sway the vote.

Delta said it believes a "direct relationship" works best for the airline and its employees.

"Our flight attendants have spoken and we are pleased that so many flight attendants agree," the airline said in a statement. "We urge the AFA to respect our flight attendants' choice so that we may move quickly to align pay, benefits and work rules and produce a single seniority list."

Delta shares jumped 56 cents, or 4 percent, to $14.41 immediately after the vote result was released, after trading roughly flat earlier in the day.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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