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Delta Air Lines faces a relentless reaction for suggesting to employees that it would be more "fun" to spend their money on new video games or new drinks than on union dues.
The idea, communicated in leaflets posted in the employees' break rooms, sparked sharp criticism Thursday, which gained momentum Friday with the sharing of images online.
"A new video game system with the latest success seems very fun," said a flyer. "Put your money for it instead of paying dues to the union." Another said, "Nothing is better than spending an evening watching football with your friends, and any union dues you pay every year could buy a few laps."
A third said, "Tickets and food for a baseball game for a family are not cheap. The $ 700 of union dues you would pay each year could certainly go a long way. "
Senator Bernie Sanders, who is seeking to be named Democrat for the Presidency and has already met with Delta employees to discuss their concerns over benefits and pay, criticized the flyers on Twitter. "Stop trying to undermine workers' right to form a union and bargain for better wages," he said. said Thursday.
Senator Sherrod Brown, Ohio Democrat, said the leaflets were "patronizing. "
In response to questions sent by email, Delta said Friday that leaflets were posted in employee break rooms more than a year ago. "Delta has shared many communications, which as a whole make it clear that deciding whether to join a union or not should not be taken lightly," he said.
James Carlson, deputy airline coordinator of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the union that fights to represent Delta's ramp services employees and flight attendants, said Friday that the leaflets were placed in stands in employee rest rooms handing out written documents from the company.
Mr Carlson said that he did not know why the leaflets had attracted so much attention this week. But his office learned about them by receiving inquiries from reporters on Thursday.
"It's disgusting, it's insulting, it's juvenile," he said about anti-union leaflet messages, "No one who respects their employees would talk to them that way."
Mr. Carlson stated that Delta's track service employees and flight attendants who were considering unionizing were based in 44 cities across the United States.
The messages from travelers have aroused a strong reaction at a time when the United States is struggling to improve workers' rights, especially since the Trump government has pursued labor policies that benefits entrepreneurs and businesses over basic workers.
"You earn $ 800 million more per year because of the Trump tax bill," said California Democrat Representative Katie Porter. on Twitter. "But are you aggressively undermining unions, struggling for fair wages and job security for your employees?"
The drivers of Uber, the tele-assistance app, staged a strike day this week against the company's employment and compensation practices. Last month, more than 30,000 workers at Stop & Shop reached an agreement in principle with their employer, which they said was responding to their demands for better wages and health benefits.
These and other actions took political root among the candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination, many of whom spoke in favor of the workers' grievance, including the senator Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democrat; former vice president Joseph R. Biden Jr.; and Mr. Sanders, independent of Vermont.
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