REORGANIZATION PLAN REVEALED
PILOTS GET REWARDED
FRONT LINE EMPLOYEES SOLD OUT



In the United States Bankruptcy Court Southern District of New York, Delta’s Joint Plan of Reorganization was recently disclosed. The Delta Ramp Workers Organizing Committee has obtained a copy of this 200 pg. document and the information therein is bleak news indeed for non-pilot front line employees.

Many of you have been eagerly awaiting news of what might happen after we successfully exit bankruptcy. You’ve heard whispers of possible pay restorations, benefit enhancements or even profit sharing. Those of you who have attended the VRT have been witness to these “suggestions.” As you listened to the happy talk and went through the exercises of building something together to show the spirit of unity and purpose, chances are, they weren’t telling you that a large percentage of us would be gone by the end of 2007. The following is a direct quote from the Disclosure Statement For Debtors’ Joint Plan Of Reorganization;

“Prior to the Petition Date, Delta took a variety of steps to reduce non-pilot labor costs, including by modifying the Non-Pilot defined benefit pension plan, introducing substantial cost sharing initiatives with respect to healthcare benefits and substantially reducing a number of other benefits (including sick leave, accident leave, long-term disability coverage, vacation and future survivor income benefits). On January 1, 2005, Delta implemented a 10% across the board reduction in pay rates for non-pilots. On September 22, 2005, after the Petition Date, Delta announced additional pay reductions ranging from 7% to 25% for all non-pilot employees effective November 1, 2005. Delta also announced other cost saving measures affecting active non-pilot employees, including freezing their defined benefit pension plan, increasing health insurance premiums, deductibles, co-payments and prescription drug cost sharing, further introducing a fee for flight benefits. These employees also experienced a near-complete loss of value of the ESOP preferred stock that Delta had contributed to their 401(k) accounts over the years. Between 2001 and the Petition Date, Delta has also eliminated approximately 25,000 or 38%, of mainline non-pilot jobs. The Debtors’ in-court restructuring business plan includes the ELIMINATION OF 7000 TO 9000 ADDITIONAL JOBS SYSTEM-WIDE BY THE END OF 2007.”

The Reorganization Plan has now been revealed and it looks like a significant number of us are not included in Delta’s future. When you were being sweet talked by the Delta Board Council to help “save” Delta, did any of them happen to mention the part about dropping us off at the curb when they were through?

The DBC is complicit in this colossal deception and deserves our complete disdain. They sit with the Board and must have had information about the details of our continued demise but chose deception over trust. They cajoled, conned and on occasion, hijacked many of us to the “Keep Delta My Delta” rallies, all the while knowing we were just temporary props for the media and interested on lookers. This is the price we pay for not having real representation.

The pilots, with ALPA representation made out rather well, receiving new Delta ALPA Notes in an “aggregate principal amount equal to $650 million…eligible pilots will participate in a company-wide profit-sharing plan…15%...... up to $1.5 billion and 20% of annual pre-tax income over $1.5 billion.”

All of us can no longer ignore the realities of our situation. We must decide to stand together and fight by organizing or be individually “cut out of the herd” and lead to “slaughter”. These are stark terms, I know, but the consequences of doing nothing should be evident to even the most passive of you. Our days are numbered unless we mobilize, finish organizing and win this campaign. Find a Delta Ramp Workers Organizing Committee member and ask how you can become involved. The time is short. Please, see for yourselves. Go to the disclosure statement at: www.deltadocket.com.