SITTING UP ON CINDER BLOCKS

Almost everyone has seen the image of a car stripped clean of all useful parts sitting up on cinder blocks. Who hasn't watched a movie or television show depicting the scene where an unsuspecting victim goes to the wrong side of town in search of something at some store or business only to return minutes later finding their car laid waste with barely any valuable parts attached. Kind of funny isn't it?

Unless, of course, it happens to you!

Well, it has happened to us; all of us. We had great jobs less than a decade ago with pay and benefits that were worthy of our efforts. We were able to save money and take care of our families' wants and needs. Our kids looked forward to after school extra-curricular activities that cost just a few more dollars. We had health insurance choices that allowed most of us to take care of all our medical needs with hardly a worry. Our sick time and OJI coverage was adequate and mainly hassle free if all the rules were followed.

Life was good and then Delta came calling almost in the middle of the night and stripped us clean. Without union representation, we were left at the mercy of our executives and they spared us little but the bare "chassis" of our original benefit and pay package.

But don't worry, Delta has been promising to take us back to "industry standards" for a few years now and every so often they throw us a few of our car parts back in the form of modest, partial pay restorations or they slightly modify our benefits cosmetically.

These small enhancements are appreciated, don't get us wrong, but they don't get our cars off the cinder blocks. A windshield wiper or bucket of bolts and nuts doesn't make up for the missing engine, drive train or the wheels.

As a matter of fact, if we ever hope to have our cars leave the drive-way again we need all the parts returned and someone willing and capable of putting them back together; a master mechanic. We need the professionalism of the IAM.

They'll get us back on the road with a smooth running car and tank full of gas; not to mention the kind of insurance and backing that will give us the peace of mind should the thieves come calling in the night again.

That promise of industry standard pay and benefits will always be something just around the corner, just out of reach without the power and backing of a union and an IAM contract. Don't be fooled by modest benefits and pay enhancements; they will never add up to what we had before without the power and backing of a legally binding contract.

It's time to get the car off of the front lawn and back on the highway. It's time for the IAM.

Learn more by visiting: www.goiamnow.org

BE PREPARED: FOR WHAT DELTA WILL TELL YOU ABOUT UNIONS

Delta Air Lines has a long and proud history...of preventing its employees from having a meaningful voice in the workplace. Delta will spend millions of dollars on outside consultants to coach them on how to skirt the law and scare you into inaction when it comes to voting for a better future. From time to time we will expose these anti-employee techniques so you can be prepared with the truth.

What the company will tell you:

The Union is a third party "outsider" that will interfere with our "Direct Relationship".

The truth:

The Union, the IAM, is made up of working men and women who come from workplaces just like yours. In the IAM Transportation Department, all of the representatives come from their respective workplaces and are elected to the positions they hold. These individuals have years of experience working at airlines, so they speak the airline language. They also have the benefit of a good IAM education so they can properly help you in your representation.

But most importantly, your representatives at Delta will be Delta employees. In the IAM, you elect all of your local representatives from among your peers in your workplace. You will vote on the representatives who will help bargain your contracts. You will be the ones who provide the proposals that will make up your contract. You will vote on the contact that meets your collective acceptance. These are all Delta employees taking care of Delta union-related business.

Delta will tell you that the manager's open door policy will close if you become Union. This just isn't true. With a Union or without, it is up to the manger to have his door open to you. The Union doesn't stand in the way of any relationship with management. Quite the opposite, the Union only serves to enhance that unique employee-employer relationship.

The truth is, your direct relationship with Delta will only be strengthened. It will be strenghtened with the power of a contract behind you. It wil be strenghtened by the power of your voice being collective with your coworkers. Your relationship with Delta will have real meaning, and a real future.

Watch for a well-crafted anti-employee messages to come your way...and remember the truth.

Learn more by visiting: www.goiamnow.org