A WORKING MAN’S PRAYER

Growing up less than rich is not a bad lifestyle. I was raised by parents of modest means who had many children and had to make tough decisions every day about how to spend their limited income.

We, as children in this wonderful family, didn't feel poor or even notice that we had limitations; we were happy and had parents who were there when we woke up and one of them was always home when we returned from our day of school; mainly my tough, magnificent mother. We were loved, taken care of and looked after, despite our middle class lifestyle.

Life was good. My parents made a decent living but also had to make hard decisions about where and what to spend their limited income on. They made the right decisions and also made modest deposits into savings and stock accounts that had a profound impact on our extended family’s future well being.

That was the America that I grew up in; a place that had challenges where families had to make sacrifices and hard decisions to continue on; but life ultimately had great rewards for those who persevered.

My Dad was an educator, a teacher, a coach of great success and later in life; a leader in the education field. He was a success story who understood hard work and sacrifice for the greater good. My Dad wore the same 3 suits to work for almost 30 years. My mom tended other teachers’ children to help make ends meet during the same time frame and made sure that her children knew responsibility and accountability.

My parents would sit at the dinner table for hours on end helping their 9 children with homework, despite my parent’s other endless responsibilities, happy to steer their off-spring to success.

On this Labor Day, I salute my parents for their endless love of their own family and their contribution to the greater good of our community and this great country. My parents were both union and management during their life span. They understood work and the relationship between workers and those in charge.

My Dad worked in education for nearly 4 decades and never missed a day of work; not for any reason. He went to work hours before he was obligated to and came home much later than required. He never complained. My Mother honored him by making sure that our family had a safety net of power and compassion always at the ready; day and night.

This was the America I was privileged to grow up in; this was my life. Hard work should mean something. Sacrifice should result in rewards that extend and enrich life. This is now my Father and Mother’s reward; to see the enormous sacrifices they made grow into the calming knowledge that their hard work had meaning and results; that the long days and nights of their existence would nurture a continuing generation of success and growth.

Shouldn't we all have that sure knowledge that what we sow we reap? I work this union fight because it is who I am. This is what Labor Day means to me. It can be our future; that we hand a decent legacy on to our children. Life goes on and we should all be enriched for our sacrifices and hard work. This is my working man’s prayer.

Bruce K. Church

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EQUITY DISTRIBUTION CHART

AFTER OUR MERGER IS GIVEN THE GREEN LIGHT BY JUSTICE AND WE HAVE BEEN DECLARED A ‘SINGLE CARRIER ENTITY’, DELTA HAS PROMISED TO DISTRIBUTE EQUITY SHARES IN THE WAY OF STOCK TO ALL EMPLOYEES. PLEASE REFER BELOW TO THE PROPOSED BREAKDOWN BY GROUP AND STANDING.

15% or 15 shares of the projected value of our combined airlines will be distributed to all employees. We won’t know what the actual value of the company will be because it will be based on the market value of the stock at that time so it is simpler to think in terms of shares instead of percentages. Remember how we got fooled into thinking we would get equal amounts of money as our pilots and managers received at profit sharing time? The 700 managers will receive 3.5 shares, the 11,000 pilots of our newly combined airline will get 5.88 shares and the rest of us; or 60,000 non-represented employees will divide up 4 shares. 1.62 shares will be held out for future employees; probably given to managers not yet named.

If the equity of the new Delta is 10 billion dollars then 15% or 15 shares worth 1.5 billion dollars will be divided up among the 70,000 employees of the new Delta according to the above stated percentages.

MANAGERS: The 700 managers will receive $350 million up front with $162 million held in reserve for future allocations, probably for them only. The top 7 executives will gobble up a large percentage of this allocation and receive millions upon millions of dollars. Why? Because they have contracts; the same kinds of contracts that they are trying to talk all of us out of having by believing their rhetoric about ‘direct relationships’ with management being more important than union representation.

PILOTS: The pilots of the new Delta will receive almost $600 million dollars if our equity is $10 billion at merger or ‘single carrier entity’ time. 11,000 pilots dividing up that amount; you can do the math on their excellent, upcoming payday. Why are they making out so well? They have a contract, negotiated by their union that provides them a blanket of security, pay and benefits that enhance life; the same kind of contract that the Delta Board Council and Delta management are telling all of us we don’t need.

UNREPRESENTED EMPLOYEES: The rest of us or the roughly 60,000 employees that Delta didn’t bother talking to during this merger process will receive only about $400 million dollars. Our payday will be based on a percentage of what we make and will most probably resemble, very closely what we got in the way of stock shares after leaving bankruptcy. We have described these modest payouts before; the equity distribution is nothing more than ‘go away and shut-up’ money. It is a pittance compared to the managers and pilots who have contracts.

RESULTS AND BENEFITS FROM ALLOCATIONS:

TOP 7 EXECUTIVES: Will be able to get that mansion in the Hamptons their spouses have always wanted.

PILOTS: They will have enough to buy a new car or pay their kid’s college tuitions; maybe a down payment of that summer home at the lake.

THE REST OF US? Hold the pickle; hold the lettuce. Two all beef patties on a sesame seed bun...for the whole family!

Really, isn’t it time to realize how badly we have been played by this whole process? Does any of this look fair to any of you? How long will we allow ourselves to be bought off by promises that never seem to materialize? Our future is not going to turn out well by our weak-kneed approach and those who rely on hope rather than action. These people in charge are living large off of our sweat; not their brilliance. Let’s stand up today before it’s too late.

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THE ANATOMY OF A WELL FORMED PLAN

The following is a fictional scenario that might well have taken place sometime ago in our recent past…The names have not been changed in order to identify the culprits!

August 21, 2007

Doug Steenland calling Richard Anderson: Congratulations on your landing the CEO post at Delta, jeez! My friend, how the hell did you pull it off? I thought for sure that Grinstein’s protégé, Jim Whitehurst, was a shoe-in for the job.

Richard Anderson: That snot nosed kid? He didn’t have a prayer! We blind-sided both of them; they didn’t see it coming. Man, what a couple of rookies. You would think that a 74 year old man would have smelled out our moves. Anyway Doug, our plan is still in play; we both declared bankruptcy the same day, we were able to shed millions of dollars off the backs of our employees by making them work for less. We both walked away from debt through the magic of the generous bankruptcy laws and you guys at Northwest, even though you have unions, were able to force lousy contracts onto your rank and file during bankruptcy. Too bad they were able to keep some of that stuff, but don’t worry, we’ll take the rest from them some day.

DS: I’ve got to hand it to you ‘Tricky Dick’, when you first hatched this cockamamie scheme all those years ago when we worked together at Northwest, I thought you and Gary Wilson had been smoking something funny again, and you know how you get with that stuff! I would have never thought we could actually arrive at a point where we could potentially put these two airlines together and do it with minimal union interference. How long should we wait until we declare a merger? You know there is going to be all kinds of speculation about what we are scheming to do?

RA: Cool your jets ‘Stingy Stee’; we don’t want to spook anyone. Let’s just let the rumors run up the value of our stock for awhile and deny everything; that ought to build some excitement and momentum for a big equity payoff like we got after we both exited bankruptcy. Man, what a brilliant plan; we got to collect equity when we individually left bankruptcy — then after we merge, we’ll have a second big score. This corporate life is a breeze if you play your cards right.

DS: You’re the Man, Dick! But aren’t you worried about the Justice Department or Congress? What if they find out what we’re up to? You know, all those nasty anti-trust laws and congressional hearings that the whiney unions will demand. How about the pilots? Won’t they scream bloody murder and demand stuff like their pensions returned and pay restored? It could get complicated.

RA: Good Lord! Hold yourself together. We’ll give the pilots what they want and take it out of the pockets of all the other workers like we always do. That’s how Delta has always done it. As far as Congress and the Justice Department are concerned, we really don’t have much to worry about there; hell they are in more trouble than we could ever dream up on our own. There is an election coming up and lawyers at Justice all got their law degrees off the backs of a cracker-jack boxes! Ha! Ha! Ha!

DS: This really could work! But, aren’t you worried about the other unions at Northwest; they aren’t going to take this lying down. Don’t they just have to talk enough Delta employees into signing union authorization cards and win a majority, combined vote? That shouldn’t be too tough for them. The flight attendants and ramp at Delta have been active since 2006, organizing and could present a problem.

RA: That’s in the bag oh worried one! We got friends at the National Mediation Board who are willing to throw a monkey wrench into that mix. Watch and be awed by the man who cut his teeth in this business learning from the beast of the airline world, Frank Lorenzo. Boy did he know how to increase personal wealth through the destruction of tens of thousands of workers’ lives. What a master! Anyway, I digress. There will never be a vote as long as this mediation board stays in place. They do our bidding and will fix the process for us.

DS: Looks like you have everything covered. Now if we could just do something about ALPA and the pilots.

RA: Working on that now oh lackey of mine! You know the Air Force is making great strides with pilotless drones…

DS: I wish I was you.

Today is the one year anniversary of Richard Anderson becoming CEO of Delta Air Lines. Congratulations Richard, we are watching you closely!

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WHAT YOU STAND TO GAIN WITH A UNION

Scope Language: The language in all IAM contracts clearly defines the intent of the agreement and specifies what the company can and cannot do with the work that we are employed to perform. Job security falls under the Scope provisions of a contract. This is how you protect your work. Only with the protection of a contract can you limit the ability of Delta Air Lines from just sending your work out the door.

Overtime by Equal Opportunity: Overtime is distributed as equally as reasonably possible among the employees using an overtime equalization method. You’re even entitled to a claim at the end of each year if you are not within a certain percentage of the average overtime opportunity hours. Many IAM contracts provide for overtime bypass pay on a daily basis. The Union makes it fair for everyone.

Holidays: The IAM has led the airline industry in Holidays observed and in Holiday pay. Even after bankruptcy, IAM represented employees enjoy superior Holiday benefits. Imagine seven paid Holidays…at double-time. It continues to exist in IAM contracts. Floating Holidays – used when you want? In IAM contracts Delta employees will have the power to define their Holiday pay and structure…beginning the day you vote for the IAM.

Trade Days Guaranteed with a Contract: No more favoritism and no more wondering if the rules will change. In an IAM contract you can bargain how trade days work, what the pay will be, who can trade with who – or even if there will be any restrictions.

Seniority That Means Something: There is a difference between the company owning your seniority and you owning your own seniority. You will get to vote on, and Delta will be required to comply with contract provisions outlining where you work, when you work and what area you work in; your pay, vacation and even your station location. Also, displacement rights are based upon seniority. Just because a particular station may “close” or downsize doesn’t mean you have to reapply for your job, you exercise your seniority to hold whatever is most desirable to you, based upon your seniority.

Accrued Sick Time: Under IAM contracts, employees accrue sick time each month, some with no maximum accrual. There are countless employees that have battled with a serious illness and continued to receive a paycheck because of their “sick bank” hours. They were able to keep their home, feed their family and pay all those bills, even when they were not well enough to work. Delta will not be able to change sick time on a whim.

Occupational Injury Leave (OJI): Something Delta employees deserve. When you get injured on the job you should have extra ‘insurance’ in the bank. IAM contracts typically contain this extra protection. The NWA members of the IAM have this benefit that accrues monthly with no maximum accrual.

Grievance Resolution Procedure: When there are disputes, discipline or complaints, IAM contracts provide a method of resolving those issues in a fair and equitable manner. There are specific step by step processes that address anything from a minor contract dispute to a termination of employment. Remember what that Delta HR states: “Just as all personnel may resign their employment with Delta at any time and for any reason they choose, Delta may terminate the employment relationship at any time if Delta concludes that such termination is appropriate.”

Pension: IAM members at every major carrier that experienced bankruptcy walked away with something no other employees got…a guaranteed, secure and growing pension. IAM represented employees at United, USAir, Hawaiian and Northwest joined thousands of other Union members in the IAM National Pension Fund. This extraordinary benefit is secure, protected by the Federal Government, 117% funded (over $9 Billion in assets), can’t be affected by the fortunes of an individual employer and best of all…it is paid for by contributions from the employer!

Representation: In the IAM, you vote on your representatives. You vote on your contracts. You have a voice in your future. You will always have someone to stand with you to enforce your rights. And, you will always have the peace of mind that the security only a contract can bring.

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"UNIONS DIG IN FOR DELTA FIGHT"

Here we have a link to the aforementioned article published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, click here to read the entire story.

As Delta Air Lines works toward its proposed merger with Northwest Airlines, labor unions at the highly unionized Northwest are ramping up efforts to organize employees at the largely nonunion Delta.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents about 12,000 employees at Northwest, has opened an office in Atlanta across the street from Delta's headquarters for its ongoing campaig.........more

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LET US BEGIN WITH THE PAST

While performing a little research for our first post, we went back a few years and found several interesting comments that Delta ramp employees have made about being "unionized”. From all accounts, at present there appears to be very little interest of the employees that work for Delta "above the wing" in joining their Northwest counterparts as Union Members. It seems so odd that just a few years back, we could find and quote numerous Delta ramp employees who, behind the comfort and safety of their keyboard and monitor at least, were quite vocal in their desire to have Union Representation.

So we ask you, "Dept. 205" workers, can you look into the past, no matter how near or far it might be: regardless of whether you've been around for thirty years, or just three, how has being employed "at will" worked out for you? If you are not interested in the Union, we would really like to know what your objections are. Generally most folks keep an open mind about things. True, there are those that can be closed-minded; I'm not one of them. Facts, figures, true-to-life stories and any other arguments you wish to include that will convince us that we would be better off without a trade Union are what we would like to see. It will also give us the opportunity to provide some insight into why we think that sticking together as fellow Brothers and Sisters in a unionized environment is the best option for both of our collective groups of employees.

Whilst you are creating some sort of a response, whatever it may be, take a look at a few random statements cultivated from the past. Please note that they are in their original format, nothing has been altered or corrected. Possibly by looking behind us, we can all paint a picture of how things might come to be in the future.


"The only way to insure your job is to have someone in your corner! To be blunt Delta management does not care about the average employee at all, our stock is worthless, our pension is frozen, and now with an impending hostile take over our jobs are even more at risk. I just hope that the ramp employees around the system are finally smart enough to figure out that we as employees need strong representation! IAM is our only hope now, when you can't trust your Management, we must look elsewhere!"

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"Pretty sad, I didn't use to be an advocate for unions, but with each and every day that goes by seeing how Delta only cares about the bottom line and not the people who make Delta "DELTA", I grow fonder and fonder for the union. What other companies out there penalize you for getting hurt while making them great? Let's vote now!!!"

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"We need to OUTSOUCE THE LEADERSHIP IN SLC and keep the workers this lunacy of contracting out our best and brightest and let the light shine back on our real value, our own people. Let’s unionize and protect the assets we have left. Let’s band together and bring professionalism and proficiency back to our passengers and customers."

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"Management is going to contract us smaller stations out people!!!! What in the world is wrong with us? You cant see it coming? I dont want to move from my home. I want to retire here in the station I started out. I just want to retire and it looks like I might not make retirement because I know the are going to contract us out. They have lied to us before. Its like what another person commented on this blog....WE HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!"

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"First off!!
No matter what, with a union we would have a contract. What a contract means is Delta would have to stand behind their word.

As far as putting all your eggs in one basket goes: I should only have ONE job. No one said we want to be rich. Some people just want to work an honest day, and spend time with their families without having to worry about getting hurt or sick, or a family member getting sick. I don't know if you checked out the insurance, but I pray that none of us including you, have a major health problem.

We know that we were all chosen for work by some boss or another. I just think that after 15 to 30 years dedicated service we wouldn't be moving backwards. After all the years of loyalty, I think that we could be treated with a little respect. Of course we can take some cuts when times are lean. But without an ounce of negotiation, take, cut, take, cut.
I wonder what the insurance is going to look like next year?

We aren't greedy jerks wanting a bigger piece of the pie, I just want to eat the piece I was originally given.

I love loading planes. I care about our customers. I just want the cuts to stop. I just want Delta to stand behind what they tell us. I would just like to see something Delta says they are going to give us without a disclaimer at the bottom.

A union wouldn't hurt Delta, they would just have to stand behind what they agree to.

If you think we don't care about this company, well then your just as clueless as the narrow minded eggs in one basket guy."

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"If i didn't like my job or care about this company i would not care if we had a union or not.

But the truth is i do like my job and i like working for Delta but i don't feel that i am getting a fair deal alot of the time. With a union we would all be treated alot more fairly and get the respect we deserve from our upper management as opposed to being their source of places to cut back when things get tight.

Simply put i like what i do and who i do it for and i want a contract to see that me and my co-workers are given a fair shake."

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"Isn't it funny that when Delta farms out the ramp at all these cities, they have a CONTRACT with the scab companies. Huh?"

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