Alignment: CEO Ed Bastian publicly attacked Georgia’s 2021 voting law as “unacceptable” and “based on a lie,” prompting Republican retaliation including a Georgia House vote to revoke Delta’s jet-fuel tax exemption; sustained corporate DEI programs and Pride campaigns.
Summary
Delta Air Lines is headquartered in Atlanta and is Georgia’s largest private employer. In March 2021, CEO Ed Bastian issued a strongly-worded statement opposing Georgia’s newly-passed election integrity law, describing it as “unacceptable” and “based on a lie.” Georgia’s Republican-controlled state House responded with a vote to revoke Delta’s longstanding jet-fuel tax exemption.
Claims & Sources
Claim 1: Delta CEO Ed Bastian publicly condemned Georgia’s 2021 voting law.
Sources: CNBC — Delta CEO blasts Georgia voting law as “unacceptable”; CBS News — Delta CEO says opposing new Georgia voting law “is about who we are”.
COVID-19 vaccine mandate posture: Imposed a $200 per month health-insurance surcharge on unvaccinated employees. Did not formally mandate vaccination but used significant financial pressure to drive compliance.
Source: CNBC — Delta ends $200 health insurance surcharge on unvaccinated employees
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