Memorial Day
A Time to Remember


Memorial Day, one of the great summer holidays is once again upon us. This is a time to remember those who have come and gone before us; a time to remember those who fought so bravely and gave of their lives so that we may enjoy what we have; and, a time to remember others who came before us and fought another kind of fight – one that provided us with fairness on the job, decent benefits and good wages.

We at Delta Air Lines had brave people come before us, both inside our company and out. Our jobs, the jobs we perform every day, were once very valuable jobs in our country. Almost all employees who performed our kind of work were Union employees. They fought tough battles to raise the wages of airline employees to a level to be envied. They fought to have employer paid retirement benefits, healthcare, and the right to use seniority to bid jobs, vacations and days off. Even though Delta has been non-Union, there were those who fought to get the same things the Union employees got. And, there were those who became part of the Delta family who came from a strong Union background and knew what and how to improve our standard of living.

Another thing to remember: Delta Air Lines never gave to us anything from the goodness of their heart. They only gave to us what they had to in order to keep us satisfied. That standard of satisfaction was defined by the industry around us.

Now things have changed. Too many of us are not Union, and Delta has joined all of the other airlines in ravaging their employees. Remember, Delta only gives us what they have to – the standard is defined by the industry.

But all is not lost. The airlines with Unions, particularly the airline employees who are part of the IAM, fought and bargained through the bankruptcy restructuring of our industry. They have set a new standard. A standard that requires airlines to pay recovery money to their employees; a standard that provides pay increases; a standard that provides job protections; a standard that sets the stage for airline employees to rebound, gain strength and once again become employees with jobs that others envy. They have set a standard that Delta has grudgingly and inadequately had to follow.

Remember this too: we can and should be part of this hopeful future. Our way to do that is to become Union, to be part of the IAM. We cannot sit back and just hope or trust that Delta keeps up – we deserve to lead the pack! We deserve to have a voice in that future, not be told what we’ll just accept. We are Delta employees, proud of what we do and deserving of so much more!

Enjoy this holiday. Work if you must. Spend time with friends and family. And get ready...

This holiday we remember what we were, and we dream of what we can be. The next holiday is Independence Day – let’s give ourselves something we can celebrate!

Sign an IAM card. Vote to be Union. Let’s be part of a Better Future!