MAKE DELTA OUR DELTA




I have been watching with great interest, the “Keep Delta My Delta” campaign and am curious about the inception of it all. I noticed that the board of directors and the pilot’s union are very active participants in the whole process but what about you and me? Did anyone ask you how you felt about it all or did they just assume you to be on board, worse, did they “manufacture” your opinions without your say or input?

Anne Larkin, a Delta Board Council member, has been very assumptive in her system wide treatises about your participation. She has even claimed to the New York Times that she represents 40,000 employees. She doesn’t represent me and I have let her know that. I’m sure that many of you have attempted to do the same, but to no avail. Who elected her? Did you have a say in the matter?

On the face of it, there’s really nothing wrong with showing pride in where you work, being loyal and wanting to keep your airline intact. It all sounds noble and decent. To me however, it is all just a bit contrived, elitist, if you will. If you take them at face value and believe what they say, this all started with an idea from the Board Council. A group of people hand picked by the Company to sit with the board and hand us morsels of wisdom to guide us in our Delta lives. How convenient.

Did anyone ask any of you for your input? The Board Council approached the Pilots and asked them for support. Their Union responded, but why weren’t you asked? Unlike the Pilots, you have no voice, no say in company matters. The pilots have a union and thus power, they have a stake in the future of this airline. Isn’t it just a little bit strange that the very same people that this company blamed for our financial tumble are the first ones that they would turn to in a crisis?

Don’t get me wrong, I like the pilots. Many of them that are aware of our ramp efforts to unionize are completely supportive, they’ve wished us well and are eager to see Delta professionals return to many of the cities that have been contracted out. They miss the consistency of our day to day efforts as well as our consummate proficiency.

Now with U.S. Airways recent announcement that they have discontinued their efforts to hostilely merge with us, perhaps the Delta Board Council can discontinue doing the Board’s bidding and agree to join with us in our efforts to provide better benefits, wages, sick time and job protection for ramp employees. The Board Council members have superb people skills and a made to order platform from which to advocate on our behalf. We look forward to their input and negotiation abilities and will, I’m sure, enjoy working with them.


Let’s get on board this out pouring of pride and truly “Make Delta Our Delta” by organizing and becoming strong with a real, not contrived, united voice. By unionizing we can begin to tell the elitists of our company what we need, want and desire. Why should we have the worst benefits, sick time and pay of all the major carriers?

Doesn’t it gall you that your “representatives” are appointed, almost anointed and not elected? Doesn’t it bother you that people project your opinions on to you by assuming that you agree with everything they do? Let’s help “retire” these people by voting in a union and electing our own leaders.

To those of you who have joined in on the “Keep Delta My Delta” campaign, we understand your motivations and fears, we want you to know that we share many of your concerns; we just think that unionizing is a better, more effective way to reach consensus goals. Let’s include everyone by “Making Delta Our Delta”. Mailing in an authorization union card is a good beginning, asking how you can get involved is a next good step. We look forward to a successful spring and welcome you aboard.