Delta Airlines Raises Starting Pay to $19 an Hour

<p>Following a payout of &dollar;1&period;4 billion in profit sharing bonuses earlier this year&comma; Delta is investing in frontline employees by raising the minimum starting wage to &dollar;19 an hour and providing employees across the company with a 5&percnt; pay raise&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>With this investment&comma; which will take effect on Jun 1&comma; 2024&comma; Delta continues to lead with industry-leading total compensation for industry-leading performance in all work groups&period; Including this 2024 raise&comma; Delta has made cumulative investments of 20-25&percnt; in compensation in each of our largest frontline workgroups since 2022&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Delta’s leading position comes thanks to a simple concept that dates back nearly a century – invest in our people first&comma; and they will deliver great service and experiences for our customers&comma;” Bastian said in a memo to all employees&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;That’s exactly what you do&comma; and it always sets us apart&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Delta created its profit-sharing structure after the turbulent period the airline industry underwent in the early 2000s&comma; as leaders worked to boost employee morale and cultivate a workplace of gratitude and teamwork&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The pay increases complement profit-sharing&comma; which has paid out over &dollar;11 billion to employees since the program’s inception in 2007&period;  Like profit-sharing&comma; wage increases remain an important part of Delta’s efforts to reward the people who make Delta America’s most awarded airline&period; In the last 15 years&comma; Delta has provided 12 base pay increases that add up to an average of 85&percnt; increase in base pay&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Delta continues to lead the industry in profit sharing and total compensation&comma; with this year’s total greater than the pool of all U&period;S&period; peer airlines combined&period;  And in the first quarter of 2024&comma; Delta is already tracking ahead of last year – accruing &dollar;125 million for profit sharing&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Profit sharing and competitive base pay are just the beginning of Delta’s employee financial wellness commitment&period; Delta also matches up to 6&percnt; plus a fixed contribution of 3&percnt; to 401&lpar;k&rpar; retirement savings&semi; pays up to &dollar;100 monthly shared rewards for achieving operational goals&semi; offers free financial coaching with the ability to earn &dollar;1&comma;000 for emergency savings&semi; and much more&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;