Delta Airlines slammed for poster suggesting employees buy video games instead of paying union dues

Delta Airlines on Thursday was widely panned on social media for a poster suggesting its nonunion employees purchase a new video game system instead of paying union dues.

The poster, first shared on Twitter by Common Dreams editor Eoin Higgins, features a game controller with the message, “Union dues cost around $700 a year.”

“A new video game system with the latest hits sounds like fun,” the poster reads. “Put your money towards that instead of paying dues to the union. 

lol fuck off @Delta pic.twitter.com/fMNOeW9uFG

— Eoin Higgins (@EoinHiggins_) May 9, 2019

The poster has the Delta Airlines logo at the bottom of it along with a link the website DontRiskItDontSignIt.com, a website meant to dissuade Delta employees from signing “it,” in this case a union card.

{mosads}A spokesperson from Delta did not address the poster directly when contacted by The Hill or confirm the website, which features a Delta logo and contact page, is affiliated with the company. The spokesperson said only that Delta employees “deserve the facts and we respect our employees’ right to decide if a union is right for them.”

“Delta has shared many communications, which on the whole make clear that deciding whether or not to unionize should not be taken lightly,” a spokesperson told The Hill in a statement.

Several users on Twitter decided seeing the poster was enough to no longer fly with the airline and called on others to boycott Delta.

Yep, I’ve flown my last Delta flight https://t.co/Cd0iLkYtl1

— Adam Weinstein (@AdamWeinstein) May 9, 2019

By Thursday afternoon, the backlash had grown, with politicians including Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) weighing in and condemning Delta for the union-busting poster.

Shame on @Delta for this condescending bullshit. A gaming system can’t give you:
✔️ fair wages
✔️ health care benefits
✔️ job security
✔️ retirement benefits

And apparently, @Delta doesn’t want to either.
https://t.co/zxYpk0ZWcV

— Sherrod Brown (@SenSherrodBrown) May 9, 2019

Delta’s CEO made $13.2 million in 2017 – more than any other airline CEO – yet he won’t let workers fight for better wages.

This anti-worker and anti-union campaign is EXTREMELY insulting to the thousands of airline employees who work hard every single day. #DoBetterDelta pic.twitter.com/q7fXDQbw1V

— Rep. Mark Pocan (@repmarkpocan) May 9, 2019