Delta flight attendants say no to union membership

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Flight attendants at Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N) have voted against joining the labor union that represents flight attendants at Delta's proposed merger partner Northwest Airlines Corp NWA.N, Delta and the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) said on Wednesday.

About 5,300, or 40 percent, of eligible flight attendants voted. The union said about 60 percent of those workers rejected union representation.

The decision by the Delta flight attendants, which currently have no union, is a victory for the No. 3 U.S. airline.

Delta intends to cut 2,000 jobs through voluntary retirement. The merger with Northwest would create the world's largest airline and one goal of that merger is to lower costs through operational efficiencies.

Northwest, the No. 5 U.S. airline has a much larger union presence than Delta. Flight attendants at Northwest already are represented by the AFA.

Delta praised its flight attendants for rejecting the union, saying the workers are better served by maintaining a more direct relationship with airline leaders.

AFA, however, said the rejection underscores the challenge faced by the unionized flight attendants at Northwest, which eventually will become Delta employees.

"Over the next several months, we will work alongside our Delta flight attendant colleagues on how to best move forward with our two groups," said Kevin Griffin, president of Northwest's AFA chapter, in a statement.

Delta shares were down 4.73 percent at $5.64 on the New York Stock Exchange in late trade. Northwest shares were down 6.43 percent at $6.40 on the NYSE.

(Reporting by Kyle Peterson; editing by Carol Bishopric)